


Vindicated

by Jyserai



Category: The Walking Dead
Genre: Damsel in Distress, Daryl/OFC - Freeform, F/M, Rescue, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-05-15 12:58:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 37,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5786116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jyserai/pseuds/Jyserai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl has no clue what he's getting into when he decides to finish off his night with a beer or two.</p><p>Suddenly he's got this sweet, small, pretty young girl staying on his couch. Every time she speaks or even just looks at him, he's done for...Even though he doesn't want to admit it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all, this is my first time writing. I have 8 chapters done so far and I'll try to upload them as quickly as I can (since I'm still learning how to use this.) I apologize in advance for formatting errors. 
> 
> Word of caution--there will be smut as things progress :)

CHAPTER ONE

No matter how hard he scrubbed with the industrial strength liquid soap he pumped from the wall dispenser of the garage bathroom, the grime wasn’t going anywhere. The dark brown smudged stains on his large, calloused palms and fingers might just become a permanent fixture at this rate. He’d been working on his motorcycle for almost two weeks now. So far he’d managed to transform it from a barely-running, stuttering, stalling, squealing pile of metal into a fairly respectable ride but there were still a few more improvements he wanted to make. He ran though the mental list of parts he needed one more time before wadding up a handful of paper towels, mushing them between his hands, and tossing them in the overflowing trash can before flicking off the lights.  
His old buddy Tommy was letting him use his garage and tools to fix up the bike. They’d known each other for years. Both were men of few words who preferred quiet companionship over enthusiastic conversation. Neither ever brought up their personal lives or pasts. It was easy to be friends with the guy. Daryl was surprised that afternoon though, when Tommy came to him and asked him if he might consider taking up a paid position at the garage as a mechanic. He saw how thorough and knowledgeable Daryl was in his work over these past two weeks, and since his best mechanic recently quit without notice (some mid-life crisis bullshit about wanting to live life to the fullest, see the world, and so on) he needed the help. He knew Daryl was planning on leaving town as soon as his bike was fixed but he was hoping an offer of employment might change his mind. Or at least, tempt him into sticking around a little longer.  
Daryl went through the motions of closing up the shop and the little office attached to it. He was always the last one to leave, mostly because he spent his early mornings hunting in the forest on the outskirts of town, making money in meat and hides to pay for the bike parts, gas, and other things he was going to be needing soon. Tommy’s offer floated to the front of his mind as he turned around to lock the front door on his way out. It was attractive in a way. Dependable steady income. It wasn’t a bad place to work. Tommy was his friend, and the three other guys didn’t really bother him much. They did their jobs and went home. Daryl really couldn’t think of a reason not to accept. But he needed to think on it just a little longer.  
His left hand went to his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Placing one smartly between his lips, he lit it and took a long, deep drag with his eyes on the full, white moon. Beer. Beer sounded like a good way to finish off the night and continue contemplating Tommy’s offer. Maybe a few beers at the hole-in-the-wall bar down the road about a half mile or so, then he’d head home. He zipped up his leather jacket against the unseasonably crisp night air. A cloud of smoke billowed behind him as his heavy boots carried him towards the beat-up rusted blue sedan he was using while his bike was being fixed.  
The tacky pink and orange neon signs hanging over the entrance to Trapp’s Ale House illuminated Daryl’s face as he got out of the car and approached it. The two people standing by the door politely took a few steps to the side to let Daryl pass, though they didn’t pay him much notice. The town was a hub for travelers; bikers and truckers mostly, with some tourist-type folks sometimes passing through to get to their vacation cabins in the woods near the lake a few hours westbound. There were always new faces coming and going. Daryl’s muscular, imposing, leather-clad frame, dark blue eyes, and shaggy brown hair didn’t raise any eyebrows.  
He pulled up a bar stool and waited patiently for the college-age looking kid behind the counter to take his order. His eyes roamed the place, absorbing the details and making note of the people around him. There was a single TV, a shoddy pool table, and all kinds of garbage hanging on the wooden walls, meant as decoration. The front of the place was one big window, allowing the patrons a view of the bushes, cracked cement, and gravel that composed the bar’s small shitty parking lot. It reeked of stale cigarettes, cheap alcohol, and grease.  
The two people who were standing outside saw their friends pull up and made their way over to the car. There was a sleazy, middle-aged couple in a corner booth, groping each other and giggling. A few younger folks were leaning against the pool table, drinks in hand, laughing at the drunkest one of their group as he attempted to flirt with the only waitress in the place. A few truckers had their own seats not too far from Daryl, one of whom was so fat Daryl was astounded that the bar stool was able to hold him. The bartender made his way over just as the front door opened and someone else headed to the counter.  
“What can I get you, sir?” asked the kid, glancing at Daryl’s stony face. Kinda geeky-looking, Daryl thought to himself. Hard to believe he’s old enough to serve alcohol. But whatever.  
“Beer. Cold. M’not picky,” came Daryl’s gruff response. Geeky-kid looked bewildered for a moment before pulling himself together and grabbing the closest bottle and a napkin, setting both down in front of Daryl before quickly making his way to the other end of the bar.  
“Excuse me,” came a small, pleading voice. It was female, that much Daryl could tell, but everything else about her was obscured by an oversized sweatshirt. She had the hood pulled up and was looking away from him, towards the bartender, who stopped and asked what he could do for her.  
Shyly, she asked if there was a manager or owner available who she could speak to. The bartender held up a finger to let her know he’d be a minute, and walked towards the door that lead to the kitchen. Momentarily he returned with the waitress that the drunk by the pool table had tried (and failed miserably) to ask on a date.  
Daryl wasn’t exactly interested in what was going on, but the truckers sitting near him weren’t doing much talking to each other so he was able to overhear the conversation between the waitress and the girl, who had removed her hood to speak.  
“I was wondering if you were looking for help…if you had any positions available,” she explained to the confused looking woman in her small, meek little voice.  
“Oh,” replied the waitress, her confusion turning into impatience. “No honey, I’m the only waitress on staff and I manage the place. It’s just me, the cook, and two bartenders who alternate shifts. This is a small town, we don’t get too busy. Sorry.” Almost as if on cue, the bell rang in the kitchen to signal that an order was ready, and the waitress hurried back through the door, not looking sorry at all. Dejected, the girl turned around and headed back towards the door, but the bartender caught her attention and waved her over.  
“Here, it’s on me. I apologize if she was rude. Hope you find something.” He handed her a can of beer and turned around to grab a bin and start clearing tables. The girl’s expression brightened a bit as she sat down to enjoy her drink. Daryl was able to catch a glimpse of her face as she smiled her thanks at the bartender. Pretty, he thought. Strawberry blond with sky blue eyes, as far as he could tell with this shitty light and a haze of smoke in the place. Cute round face, full lips, gracefully arched eyebrows. She should have no problem getting a job, Daryl thought to himself. The bartender appeared again and asked Daryl if he wanted another.  
“Yeah. Just one more,” he said, and slapped some money on the counter to cover the beers and a tip. One more and he would go home, fall asleep on his couch, and wake up to tell Tommy he’d stick around for a few weeks and see how it goes. They were friends after all, and Tommy needed the help. It’s the least he could do after the guy let him use the shop and all his equipment. At least, until he was able to find someone permanent.  
Daryl stepped outside after taking a half-hour or so slowly drinking his second beer, and lit up another smoke. He was glad to have come to a decision regarding Tommy’s offer, and the beers had warmed him up a bit. If he didn’t have shit to do tomorrow he probably would have stayed ‘til last call. He couldn’t remember the last time he got drunk. It had been tough these past few months, and he’d been working hard trying to get money together.  
He had always been a hard worker, and it was always up to Daryl to fend for himself. His parents had been dead for years (not that they were any good to him when they were alive) and his brother was doing some serious time on a drug trafficking conviction. His grandfather had still been alive up until four months ago, but he and Daryl weren’t close. He had a couple nice memories of his dad dropping him off with his grandfather every so often, so he could leave town when his drug dealers came around looking for money, but those memories consisted more of exploring the woods around his grandpa’s cabin, teaching himself how to track animals, and fishing with a long stick cut off a tree and bits of old line he found on the shore of the lake…they did not consist of spending quality time with his dear granddad. The guy was a mean old alcoholic who was only too glad that Daryl knew how to entertain himself and kept out of his hair, or what was left of it.  
But his grandpa’s property was the reason Daryl had been trying so hard to get money together. He had two more months to come up with enough cash to buy the place before the bank put it on the market. It was old and probably not well-maintained, but he wanted it. Acres of nothing but trees and wildlife, no neighbors, a place to call his own…oh yeah, Daryl wanted it. And he was so close to owning it. Six weeks of working at the shop combined with what he already had saved would give him plenty. It was a hell of a goal, but he was definitely a stubborn and disciplined enough man to accomplish it.  
Daryl was suddenly pulled from his little reverie by two things; first, his cigarette had burned down to the filter without his noticing and almost burned his fingers. Second, he heard shouts coming from behind the bar. It was quickly muffled, but before his useless, smoldering cigarette butt hit even the pavement he had swiftly taken off towards the source of the sound.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl is a badass hero who kinda doesn't want to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Formatting? How do I do this? It's bothering me. 
> 
> Anyway-- here's chapter two!

CHAPTER TWO

His boots propelled him with a surprising speed and agility that belied his large frame as he shot towards the noise like a swift, silent arrow let loose from his crossbow.

The area behind the bar was flat, grassy field that had recently been sold to developers. Excavators and cement trucks dotted the field like massive shadowy sentinels, looking abandoned in the moonlight. On the far side of the field about two hundred yards away was a road that took travelers toward town, lined with hardware shops, gas stations, motels, and the like. The light from the buildings didn’t do much to illuminate the back of the bar though, it was too far away.

Daryl quickly located the source of the sound he had heard. A group of people were gathered by a huge pile of two-by-fours. They were standing in a semicircle, snickering and taunting some unfortunate individual who happened to find themselves in the center of it. Daryl relaxed a bit. He was no stranger to fights, but this one wasn’t his business. He bristled a bit at the unfairness of it; whoever it was seemed outnumbered, but he had no idea what they had done to get themselves in this mess. Whoever the guy was could handle learning the hard way that it’s better to keep your mouth shut when you’re surrounded by drunks. Daryl learned that lesson very well by age 5.

Daryl hadn’t been noticed by the group, and he turned to go back to his car and leave them to it when his hunter’s ears picked up the heavy clicking sound of a revolver’s hammer being pulled back over the murmur of the group’s verbal assaults. He paused, and listened to a deep, slightly slurring voice calling out louder than the others.

“I thought you were lookin’ for a job, honey?” it drawled. “I got a job for you right here!” Daryl heard the pull of a zipper and saw the hand holding the gun rise and point toward the center of the circle. “Take the rest off, bitch, before I put another little hole in that sweet body of yours.”

Daryl saw red. He barely caught the sound of a breathless sob in response to the man’s threat before his running fist slammed into the side of the gunman’s skull with a sickening, audible crack. Two more men were beat into unconsciousness before they even knew what happened. The rest didn’t wait to see who the attacker was and took off running for their cars. Daryl grabbed the revolver that had fallen into the dirt and unloaded it before pocketing it. He turned and looked toward the pile of wood.

Slumped against it, half naked, breathless, and on the verge of unconsciousness herself was the girl Daryl overheard talking to the waitress earlier. Her hoodie, jeans, and shoes lay discarded in a muddy puddle of water and oil that had leaked out of one of the construction vehicles. Her underwear, bra, and half of a ripped red t-shirt were all that covered her. Daryl shrugged off his jacket and walked toward her slowly, holding it out. Her eyes widened in fear as he approached, but he simply held it out to her at arm’s length, careful to keep his eyes on her face.

“It’s cold, girl. Put it on.”

She was trembling, probably from fear more than the temperature, but after a moment she gingerly reached out her arm and took the jacket. It took her two tries, but she managed to wrap herself in it without dropping it. It must have weighed over 20 pounds with all that leather and a beautiful soft gray lining on the inside. Daryl noticed she was bleeding from multiple cuts and scrapes, and the way she was leaning against the two-by-fours told him she was weak from shock but also probably suffering from a few busted ribs and was unable to stand up straight.

“You got somewhere to go?” he asked as she almost disappeared into his huge coat.

She shook her head. “I w-was staying at a motel, paying by the n-n-night. But they took my m-money,” she replied breathlessly, her trembling getting worse as she looked at the three unconscious men on the ground and remembered the rest of the crowd that surrounded her only moments before. Daryl squatted and quickly rooted through their pockets, snatching any money he found, barely taking his eyes off her. He thought she was going to pass out any second.

He was right. Her weight suddenly shifted more heavily against the wood pile and her knees buckled. He was able to catch her before she hit the ground but her head knocked against a few boards as she fell. Good thing she was out cold ‘cause it looked like it would have hurt if she felt it. She would feel it, for sure, when she woke up.

Well, shit. What was he going to do with some unconscious girl at this time of night? Call the cops? No. Daryl wasn’t one to trust the police, even though he stayed out of trouble himself for the most part. They’d take forever to arrive anyway. He could bring her to a hospital he supposed, but the nearest one was almost two hours away, and there’s not a whole lot that can be done for broken ribs anyway. She appeared to be alone, at least, she was when she had come in the bar earlier. No one was out here looking for her, at any rate. Damn.

Daryl carried her to his car, keeping an eye open for anyone lurking around outside the bar, but there was no one in sight. He must have scared off the assholes pretty good, ripping into the circle of men like a demonic tornado hell-bent on annihilation. He managed to recline the passenger seat with one hand and sat her down gingerly, grabbing the seat belt and strapping her in loosely just in case. Once he got behind the wheel he started the engine and turned up the heat as high as it could go, since the girl’s pants were still lying in a puddle of motor oil.

She didn’t make a sound as he drove towards his apartment. Technically it was his brother’s place, but Daryl was staying there seeing as Merle was incarcerated and there were still a few months left on the lease. He kept checking to make sure she was breathing okay, and he couldn’t help noticing the bumps and bruises that were beginning to form all over nearly every inch of exposed skin. This chick really got fucked up, he thought to himself. Wonder how long they were messin’ with her. He felt white-hot anger begin to bubble up inside him but he quelled it. He didn’t even know the girl. No sense gettin’ all riled up over it. He took care of those pieces of shit. And he took their gun and cash. They’ll definitely wake up with at least as bad of a headache as the girl, if not fractured skulls and broken noses. 

He hoped the girl didn’t have either of those things. If he was right, and he usually was, she just needed some rest and she’d be fine soon enough. He’d wait ‘til morning, give her some pain pills and the money he took from the men, and send her back on her way.

Fifteen minutes later, Daryl had gotten them both inside the apartment and bolted the door behind them. There was no bed, or bedroom for that matter; Daryl slept on the green sofa that took up most of the living room. That’s where he laid the girl before he went to grab a blanket and gently threw it over her. He moved into the kitchen and sat on one of the rickety wooden chairs that surrounded a small table laden with mismatched ash trays. He unlaced his boots and tossed them into a corner, then pulled out his smokes and lit one before wandering into the bathroom. Daryl opened the medicine cabinet, locating a small bottle of painkillers for the girl. Merle had all kinds of assorted narcotics lying around—he bought or stole whatever he could get his hands on before he was arrested. When he was taken to jail, Daryl “inherited” whatever Merle hadn’t already swallowed or snorted. “Lucky I guess,” he murmured to himself.

He tossed his cigarette into the toilet and relieved himself before flushing it down. Hoisting his jeans back up, he grabbed a sheet and wandered back into the living room. Sitting on the carpeted floor, he tucked the folded sheet behind his head and leaned back against the arm of the couch, crossing his arms in front of him and closing his eyes. As uncomfortable as it looked, this was nowhere near the worst place Daryl had fallen asleep before. Before five minutes had passed, he was out.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl goes shopping!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Screw formatting. 
> 
> I'm posting from my phone so...yeah. Bear with me folks. Hope this story is somewhat entertaining!

CHAPTER THREE

He woke up to the sound of a gasp followed by a long, quiet groan. He turned around and looked at the girl on the couch behind him. Her eyes were closed but she had both hands on her head, obviously in pain. Daryl lifted himself up as quietly as he could, though he couldn’t help the chain on his wallet from jingling a bit. The girl opened one eye and glanced at him as he walked away from her, but quickly closed it again before she thought he noticed. She was scared, hurt, and didn’t know where she was. She wasn’t sure who this dangerous looking guy was either, but she wasn’t ready to find out yet. Her head was killing her. Hell, her whole body was killing her. Daryl returned momentarily with the bottle of medicine and a glass of water.

“Hey,” he said, squatting down next to the couch. “Can you sit?” he asked. He was abrupt, but not unkind.

She opened her eyes and looked at him, positively terrified.

“You don’t remember me do you?” Daryl asked.

She shook her head once, and then quickly stopped. Her hands gripped both sides of her skull even harder than before, trying to halt the pain that shot through her when she moved.

“Some assholes roughed you up last night. You passed out,” he said, motioning for her to take the glass. Her eyes widened a bit but she didn’t move. Daryl sighed impatiently. “Look, I know you’re freakin’ out right now but I ain’t gonna hurt you. And your head is gonna get a lot worse real quick if you don’t take some of these. It ain’t poison.” He waited, but she still didn’t move, so he set the glass and pills down on the coffee table and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

He wasn’t angry at her, just a little frustrated that she was afraid of him. If he’d wanted to hurt her he had all the opportunity in the world to do it the night before when she was passed out in his car and on his couch. But he didn’t hurt women. Hell, he really didn’t hurt anyone unless they had it comin’. He was used to people avoiding him, ‘cause of how he looked he assumed, but this girl had nothing to worry about. He let out a small huff of air in resignation and turned to go back into the living room.

She had pulled herself into a half-upright position and was leaning towards the coffee table to read the label on the medication. She wasn’t sure she should trust it. Anyone could switch pills with another kind. But why would this guy want to? It was daylight—that much she could tell from the glow that was peeking out from behind the blinds on the window. The last thing she remembered was leaving the bar around 10pm the night before. So whoever this guy was, he’d had plenty of time to drug her if he’d wanted to.

“What is this stuff?” she asked. She wanted her voice to sound tough and strong but it came out as a weak, barely-audible croak.

“For pain. Hydrocodone, it’s generic. It’ll help though. Take two,” came his reply. “You probably have a concussion.” He avoided her gaze. Truth be told he was unsure of what else to say to her. He wasn’t much for small talk, and he’d never had anyone wake up in his apartment before. It wasn’t until this moment that he realized he looked like trash; the place was tiny and bare and probably smelled like smoke, and he was still in the same rumpled clothes as last night. Half of him selfishly hoped she’d just take the medicine and go.

She looked at the bottle and the glass of water, considering it. A moment later, a slightly more determined voice reached Daryl’s ears. “Can I leave?” she asked.

“No one’s stoppin’ you, sweetheart,” came Daryl’s terse reply, before he could stop himself. Damn it, he hadn’t meant to give her an attitude. He got angry when he was nervous though. He wasn’t sure why he cared what this girl thought of his apartment but he didn’t like being judged. Especially not by some blond who was dumb enough to wander around bars at night alone.

She was surprised by his answer, but even more surprised by his sudden change in demeanor. The concerned caregiver that had tried to coax her into sitting up earlier was gone, replaced by a restless and indifferent host.

“I mean, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I am. Grateful, I mean, for the medicine. And water,” she stuttered. “I just…I have no idea what’s going on or where I am, or why my body hurts and my pants are gone,” she explained quickly, sounding as if she was pleading with him. She tried to get it all out before she burst into tears but failed, and her voice shook as the last words left her mouth. She covered her face with her hands in embarrassment, trying to hide the tiny tears that she felt sliding down her burning red cheeks.

Shit, Daryl thought. He didn’t mean to make her cry. He didn’t know what to do with crying women. “Relax,” he said. “I didn’t mean it like that. You can go whenever you wanna, but I’d like to make sure you’re okay first. If you don’t want that stuff,” he nodded towards the generic vicodin on the table, “I’ll run down to the corner store and get you some regular aspirin, but I’m telling you it ain’t gonna help much. Those douchebags really messed you up las’ night.”

She took a deep breath and looked up at Daryl. He seemed genuine, and nervous, like he really didn’t mean to upset her. He looked back at her with an earnest, questioning gaze.

“Oh, no, no that’s okay. You don’t have to go. I’ll take these,” she said, finally realizing that he was waiting for her to answer him. She reached for the glass of water first and took a sip. Suddenly she found that she was incredibly thirsty, and downed half of it before stopping herself, remembering that she had to swallow medicine. “Wait, what douchebags? How did I get like this?” she asked.

Daryl reached into his pocket for his smokes. As he lit one, he began to pace a little, turning away from her, unsure of how to explain. “Well, I don’t know what happened before I went outside,” he started, almost apologetically. “I saw a bunch of guys behind Trapp’s bar and they were hasslin’ you, so I made ‘em get lost.” He really didn’t want to get into details, but he didn’t need to. The girl gasped.

“The bar! I was looking for a job! I drank my beer and left, and suddenly they were all around me! My clothes…” she whispered. “Oh my god,” she said. “One of them was gonna shoot me!” She looked up at Daryl with the roundest, prettiest, saddest eyes he’d ever seen. As soon as he saw them, Daryl knew he was a goner.

“Yeah, and that’s the one who’s probably in the hospital will a broken skull right now,” Daryl growled, remembering how good it felt to send his fist crashing into the guy’s head with all his strength. He smashed his cigarette into an ash tray and immediately lit another one, his agitation getting the better of him.

“You stopped them,” she said slowly.

“I didn’t do nothin’. Anyone else woulda done the same,” he said, almost defensively.

“But you stopped them.”

Daryl didn’t reply. He looked away and shrugged, then after a moment he muttered, “I guess. Wasn’t a big deal.”

She looked lost in thought, probably piecing together what memories she had of the night before. Daryl turned around wordlessly and went to the kitchen for his boots, then to the closet near the bathroom where he kept his few extra clothes. He grabbed a denim jacket and went back out into the living room where the girl still sat, deep in thought.

She looked up after another minute, when she heard Daryl zipping up his coat. “You leaving?” she asked timidly, shifting her weight on the couch, not sure if he was expecting her to go as well.

“Yeah,” he replied. “You ain’t got nothin’ to wear but my jacket. Figured I’d go get you something to cover up with. I’d give you somethin’ of mine but it ain’t gonna fit ya. There’s a shop up the road a ways. What size am I lookin’ for? Shoes too.”

“Oh. You don’t have to do that. I mean…thanks. Small, and seven. I’m real sorry. I don’t have any money, but I can pay you back when I get some. Wait, what’s your name? Oh my god I’m so sorry, how rude of me. I’m Kate. You saved me and I didn’t even ask your name,” she rambled, looking embarrassed again.

“S’nothin. Quit flappin’. M’Daryl,” he said with just the smallest hint of a smile. He couldn’t help but think how cute she was when she was flustered. He suppressed that thought immediately though. Wasn’t right to think that way about a girl in her situation. “Small. Seven. Got it. I’ll be back soon. There ain’t much in the kitchen but help yourself if you want somethin’. Try not to get up too much though. Don’t need you fallin’ down and gettin’ hurt more.” He wished he didn’t say that last part. He was going to be late getting to the garage but he didn’t want her to feel like a burden.

“Thank you,” she said again, keeping her eyes down. “I’ll probably just stay put.”

Daryl grunted his approval, locked the door behind him, and headed to the shop. Kate leaned back on the couch. She didn’t want to move at all, even though she really had to use the bathroom. Resigning herself to the inevitable, she took a deep breath and tried to use her arms to push herself off the couch. Tears sprung up as soon as she did it though, and the pain took her breath away. She slouched back down onto the cushion, eyeballing the still-untouched bottle of medicine Daryl had left her. She decided to swallow her suspicion and just take the damn things. Daryl had saved her. He took care of her. Hell, he was out buying her new clothes right now. And she had never been in so much pain.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dang, why is Daryl so cranky?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sparks start flying a bit after this :)

CHAPTER FOUR

About fifteen minutes later she felt the painkillers kick in. Awesome, she thought. Now I can finally go to the bathroom. She still hurt all over, but at least it wasn’t torture to get off the couch. Standing up straight though, was impossible. Tears threatened to escape again as Kate hobbled through the tiny apartment with her hands on her sides. Her breathing was shallow and quick and lights were beginning to pop behind her eyes. She definitely had a concussion, and certainly some broken ribs. She finally reached the bathroom and leaned on the sink for a solid ten minutes to rest. She looked up into the mirror, and immediately wished she didn’t.

Her face was a disaster. There were so many cuts and bruises she almost didn’t recognize herself. Her hair had mud in it, and her chest had splinters…probably from collapsing on that damn pile of wood, she thought. “Oh god,” she spoke aloud as she realized Daryl had seen her like this. That anyone had seen her like this was mortifying. And Daryl had just stood there talking to her, calm as anything, his glances failing to betray how dreadful she looked. The man was a freaking saint, she thought. Either that or blind, and she knew that wasn’t the case.

“Oh god!” she said again, realizing he had seen her in her underwear. Her head dropped down in shame, even though she was alone in the apartment. For the umpteenth time that morning, tears welled up in her eyes. This time, she let them fall freely. The realization of what happened to her, and what almost happened to her, finally hit home. Kate allowed herself this tiny breakdown in the privacy of Daryl’s bathroom. After a few moments of painful sobbing with her ribs feeling like they were being broken all over again, she managed to sit down on the toilet seat and relieve herself. She used toilet paper to blot the tears and grime off her face, and smoothed her hair as best she could. She stood back up, carefully, and leaned against the sink to wash her hands.

Slowly, to avoid any unnecessary pain, Kate reached up and opened the medicine cabinet, hoping to find a pair of tweezers to get the splinters out. She was shocked to find dozens of prescription bottles, most of them with the labels torn off, and little bags of pills and powders tucked in between them.

“Jesus,” she breathed, taking it all in, the names on the bottles as unfamiliar to her as the names of Jupiter’s moons. There were obviously no tweezers in the cabinet, so she slowly closed it and steeled herself for the excruciating journey back to the couch.

Daryl didn’t seem like a drug addict, she thought to herself. She should know, considering her entire family was. She did have a cousin who was in law school and doing well for herself, but she lived on the other side of the country. Everyone Kate grew up with was addicted to something or another. Maybe he was a dealer? God, she hoped not. She didn’t know what to think. Whatever he was though, it didn’t change the fact that he saved her, and she owed him.

She made it back to the couch without incident, although it took forever and she was gasping for breath. She reached for the glass of water and downed what was left, wishing she thought to bring it with her to fill back up while she was standing at the sink. She shrank back into the cushions and closed her eyes, recovering from the massive effort her short trip required.

Five minutes later, she heard the slam of a car door followed by the sound of a key turning in the lock. Daryl stuck his head in and gave her a brief, tiny smile before turning around and using both hands to gather the bags he brought with him. Closing the door with his foot, he walked over to the couch and set the bags on the coffee table.

“More water?” he asked.

“Yes please,” she replied meekly, staring at the overflowing bags in awe.

Daryl grabbed her glass and walked over to the sink to refill it. “I’m guessin’ you took the pills,” he called from the kitchen. “You ain’t lookin’ nearly as pale as you did when I left.”

“I did, thank you, they’re helping. What is all this?” she asked.

“Clothes,” he said, cocking his eyebrow at her as though it should be obvious.

“Oh.”

He made his way back to her and handed her the glass. “Ain’t you gonna look?”

“They’re all for me?” she replied, surprised.

He pulled a pretty burgundy pea coat out of one of the bags and placed it in her lap. “Well, I sure as shit ain’t wearin’ this to work, I’ll tell ya that,” he said with a grin.

He helped her retrieve the items from the bags and held each piece up for her to look at before stacking them all neatly on the couch next to her. He looked eager but nervous, like he wasn’t sure he did well.

“I can’t believe you got all this for me,” she said when he laid the last pair of pants on the pile. “I don’t know what to say. They’re perfect,” she said, and gave him the brightest smile he’d ever seen.

“S’nothin,” he said, turning to hide a proud grin.

“I don’t know how I’m going to make it up to you,” she said, smile faltering a little bit. “Those guys took my money, not that I had much to begin with. But I swear to you I’m going to pay you back or make it up to you somehow.”

“Don’t,” Daryl replied shortly, irritation bubbling up in his chest out of nowhere. He didn’t like that this girl felt that she owed him something. Or maybe she thought he was doing all this for her just to get something out of her. He fuckin’ wasn’t like that. He wasn’t his brother, always using and manipulating people. “Here,” he said, tossing a wad of bills from his pocket onto the coffee table without looking at her. “Took this from those fuckers last night. Some of it’s gotta be yours. Just keep it all. You’re gonna need it.”

Kate jumped a bit when the money landed on the table, and at the tone he used with her. A look of distress was etched plainly across her face when Daryl chanced a look in her direction.

“Okay,” she murmured. She wasn’t sure what she said wrong, but she didn’t want to upset him. “I’ll just…go get dressed. Thank you again,” she said as she gathered up a pair of pants, a shirt, and socks in her arms.

The whimper that accidentally escaped her throat as she got up went through him like a knife. She wasn’t able to use her arms to lift herself since one was holding her clothes and the other was trying to hold Daryl’s leather jacket closed. He couldn’t help it; he rushed to her side.

“What? You okay?” he demanded, concern painted across his features clear as day.

“Yes,” she replied, taken aback at how quickly he materialized next to her, and a little white in the face again from the effort of standing. “Just had a little trouble getting up is all. I’ll be okay, really.”

“Gimme that stuff,” Daryl demanded. He didn’t even wait for her to hand over the clothes, he just took them. He marched to the bathroom and placed them on the sink. “Here,” he said as he walked back toward her. Kate suddenly found his left arm behind her back, tucked under her arm to support her, his other arm gripping her right elbow gently but firmly, guiding her slowly, making sure she didn’t lose her balance. 

“I can…I don’t…Daryl you don’t have to—“ she stuttered, shocked at how his touch jumped through her nerves like lightning, and flattered at the cautious way he held her and helped her walk. She hoped he didn’t notice the blush that was spreading up her neck and across her bruised cheeks.

“I know I don’t fuckin’ have to. But damn girl, what do you think of me anyway? Think I’m just the type to let you struggle across the apartment with a set of broken ribs?”

“N-no, no I don’t think that—“

“Think I’m tryin’ to get in your pants? Want me to get away from you, is that it?”

“No! No, I didn’t mean—“

“Good, cause I’m not.”

She controlled the urge to cry. She didn’t understand what she was doing that was making him so angry. “Daryl. I only meant…that I’m flattered. And grateful. I don’t think you’re trying to take advantage of me. You could have done that last night, right? Instead you were the one who broke those guys’ teeth for trying. I only said ‘you don’t have to’ because I didn’t know what else to say,” she finished. She didn’t dare look at him, worried she said the wrong thing again and made him even more upset.

He didn’t reply at first. “Don’t have to say anything,” he eventually muttered. “M’sorry for yellin’. Just don’t want you thinkin’ you gotta worry about me or ‘pay me back’ or whatever. I don’t do anythin’ I don’t wanna do.”

“Okay,” she whispered, slightly lightheaded and breathless from the effort of staying on her feet, and this extended physical contact with Daryl. He got her into the bathroom, closed the toilet lid, and sat her down. He moved the clothes so they were within her reach and left, closing the door behind him.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They might be crushing a little bit...

CHAPTER FIVE

His skin felt like it was on fire. The arm that had been draped across her back felt like it didn’t even belong to him anymore. She fit so perfectly tucked up against him. He didn’t know what was different now, ‘cause he sure didn’t feel this way the night before when he carried her away from the bar. Maybe it was because she was awake now, and talking to him in her sweet, quiet little voice and looking at him with her huge, gorgeous eyes that he wanted to lose himself in. Daryl couldn’t help feeling an obsessive urge to back into the bathroom and pull her to him once more and never let her go…to keep her safe. He shook his head, trying to clear it of the white noise that had invaded his brain as soon as he touched her and still hadn’t dissipated even though there was a closed door between them. He regretted snapping at her, again. Damn it. When was he going to learn how to control that stupid fuckin’ mouth of his? Always jumpin’ down her throat for no reason. It was a wonder she hadn’t thrown the clothes back in his face and left.

Then again, she barely made it to the bathroom. She probably wasn’t going to be able to leave, at least for a while. He doubted she’d make it to the next block before collapsing. Somehow he was going to have to convince her that he wasn’t a total dick, and that she should stay until she healed a little more. He hoped he’d be able to. For her sake. He tried to tell himself that wanting to be close to her had nothing to do with it.

Kate sat in the tiny room in silence and tried for five solid minutes to stop shaking. The effort of propelling herself toward the bathroom, even with Daryl’s help, had left her winded. Then again, maybe Daryl was the reason she was winded. He literally took her breath away. She laughed at herself when she realized how dumb that sounded. She probably just had a little crush on the older man ‘cause he saved her life. Lord knew he was probably getting tired of her stupid, thoughtless babbling.

She composed herself as best she could and began the grueling process of getting dressed. Bending down to get the blue plaid pajama pants over her feet and onto her legs was beyond painful. “Ow,” she whined to herself, but she gritted her teeth and pulled them up as high as they could go before she needed to stand and pull them up the rest of the way. She removed Daryl’s jacket, finally, and set it gently on the edge of the tub. She missed it as soon as she took it off. It was so warm, and its weight was comforting. She struggled for a solid 15 minutes to get a plain white t-shirt over her head and almost toppled over multiple times. She was out of breath and paralyzed with pain. She caught herself from falling, but barely, by slamming her hand against the wall to hold steady.

“Kate!” Daryl shouted suddenly, heavy footsteps making their way toward the bathroom door.

“I’m okay!” she called. “Just lost my balance a little. I’m fine. I’m still sitting, don’t worry.”

“Damn girl, if you’re fallin’ over while you’re sittin’ down I don’t think I want you standin’ up on your own. Call me when you’re ready to come out, alright?”

“I will,” she replied, embarrassed but grateful. She pulled on her new socks and braced herself against the sink for what felt like the millionth time that day to stand, wiggling the pajama pants up onto her hips where they belonged. She was exhausted from the effort, but it felt good to be covered finally.

Daryl let himself into the bathroom when she called for him. He found her standing, gripping both sides of the yellowed porcelain so hard her fingertips were going white. He hesitated to touch her again but knew she needed his help, and she definitely needed some more pain medication. Carefully he maneuvered her into a less precarious position and led her back to her spot on the couch.

“This couch might just have to be your home for a while, ‘til you’re able to get around on your own anyway,” he said as he helped her sit, as slowly as possible.

She looked at him with gratitude as he held out the glass of water and two more pills for her to take. After popping them in her mouth and swallowing deeply, she handed the glass back.

“Is there anything else you need?” he demanded, wanting to ensure she was comfortable.

“No. Well, yes, but I—“

“What is it?”

She considered her words carefully before responding. She looked up at him with a determined sort of grimace and said, “These splinters…they hurt,” she waved her hand in the general direction of her chest and collarbones. “Nowhere near as much as the rest of me, but still. Could you…could you help me get them out? I’m worried they’re gonna get infected,” she bit her lip as she finished explaining.

He just stared at her.

“I mean, I could do it myself but I’d need tweezers. And a mirror. I don’t know how long I could stand back in that bathroom,” she said quickly, regretting asking him. “But you know, never mind, it’s not important. Least of my worries, right?” She suppressed a nervous laugh.

He paused a moment before answering.

“No, you’re right. I didn’t realize you had ‘em. I’ll be right back.” He turned and walked into the kitchen, pulling open a junk drawer and fishing around for the tweezers he knew he’d seen in there. The last time they were used was when Merle was trying to sew up his arm after he accidentally shot himself like a dumbass. He opened the cabinet under the sink and pulled out some rubbing alcohol. He washed the tweezers and dipped them in the alcohol, grabbed a small dish to put the shards of wood in, and walked back to where Kate was sitting.

“This ain’t gonna tickle,” he grumbled, preparing her.

In his head he was panicking. She wanted him to touch her there? She trusted him like that? Or maybe she didn’t, but didn’t know how else to get them out? Like she said, she wasn’t gonna be able to stand up long enough to make a dent in them herself, there were so many. Shit. He hoped she wouldn’t be able to tell he was nervous or flustered. Wasn’t right to think about her the way he was. Girl needed help, not to be touched up on by some random guy like Daryl. Damn it.

Kate was horrified. She couldn’t believe she asked him to do this for her. As if he hadn’t done enough. The way he kept going silent before answering her…she just knew he thought she was an idiot. Or a gigantic pain in the ass. Oh god, maybe he thought she was flirting with him? What kind of sick girl would flirt by asking him to pull shards of wood out of her skin? Is that what he was thinking to himself? Jesus Christ. What was wrong with her?

“Oh!” she gasped as she was suddenly pulled out of her contemplation by the feel of Daryl’s warm hands barely brushing her neck. Daryl jumped a mile.

“What? Did I hurt you?” he demanded, looking slightly panicky.

“No no, no. I just wasn’t paying attention. The…the tweezers are cold. I’m sorry. You don’t have to do this you know, I hope it’s not grossing you out,” she looked worried.

“Aw hell no. I hunt for a livin’. Well I did anyway. Couple splinters ain’t nothin’. Try guttin’ a boar,” came his quick reply. He bent his head carefully, avoiding eye contact, and slowly reached towards a tiny piece of wood stuck just under her skin where her collarbones met.

This time she was prepared for his touch. In her mind she searched for something, anything, to talk about to draw attention away from the blush that was warming her cheeks.

“So you’re a hunter. That’s really cool. I’ve always wanted to try it,” she began nonchalantly.

“Yeah,” he answered shortly. She chanced a look down at him and saw his face screwed up in concentration, teeth clenched, and eyes squinting to see the tiny sliver that had made its way under her delicate skin. He was very, very close to her, leaning in as far as he could to get a good look at what he was doing.

“What do you do now?” she asked, genuinely curious.

“I’m a mechanic. Well kinda I guess. Today was supposed to be my first official day,” he replied, still concentrating with all his might on those tiny pieces of wood. It took every ounce of willpower he had to keep his eyes on one and not let them wander up to her face…or lower. Damn her for being so cute.

“Today?!” she repeated.

Surprised, he looked up at her. Her eyes were round and positively swimming with guilt. “Yeah, why?” 

“You should be there! Instead you’re here babysitting me. God Daryl, I’m so sorry!”

She trembled with the effort it took not to cry. She was a wreck. She had felt so many emotions; terror, panic, pain, confusion…stronger than she ever had before in her whole life, all in one 24 hour period. It was definitely wearing on her. She needed more sleep.

Daryl saw it, and for once didn’t get irritated.

“You know, I might head down there actually. For a little while. Let you sleep. You look like you could use it,” he stated. “Lemme just get this last little fucker and I’ll let you rest.”

He went back to work with the tweezers, aiming for the remaining splinter. He left this one for last, hoping he’d get used to being so close to her and his hands wouldn’t shake as he reached for it. It had plunged itself directly between her breasts, and truth be told, he was dreading getting it out. It had split, but he thought he could still get it out with one piece if his hands were steady enough.

He realized though, that his hands weren’t what was shaking. She was.

“Do you need a break?” he asked. “You’re shaking.”

“No, no, just get it over with. Just kinda hurts,” she replied through gritted teeth.

Fuck fuck fuck. She was trembling and he noticed. Kate hoped he believed the fib she told about them hurting. Well, it was a half-fib. It did kinda hurt. But having his hands on her like that, palm flat on her chest to steady her as he worked the sliver out as gently as he could…it was maddening. She kept her eyes closed and breathed as deeply as she could until he managed to fish out that last nasty little barb of wood. When he pulled away, she took one last, steadying breath and glanced at him.

He was standing tall, triumphant and proud, holding the splinter up to the light to get a good look at it. “Got you, son of a bitch!”

He looked at her, slightly sheepish, but smiling. Her heart melted.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kate does NOT like pineapple pizza.

CHAPTER SIX

Daryl left shortly after finishing up with the splinters. He gave her a cloth soaked in alcohol to wipe her chest off with, to prevent against infection, and grabbed his leather jacket off the edge of the tub where Kate had left it. He handed her the TV remote and an ancient looking cordless phone, then placed a full glass of water and a bag of trail mix on the coffee table next to her before heading out the door. He promised he’d call and check up on her at some point, after making her promise to nap.

He locked the door behind him, wallet chain jingling, and headed towards his car. He zipped his coat and remembered how it nearly swallowed Kate when she put it on the night before. He couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable leaving her there alone for the next few hours. He’d probably end up calling more than once, just to make sure. Make sure of what though…he asked himself. Irritated at his bizarrely overwhelming concern for this girl he’d known for less than 24 hours, he tried to push all thoughts of this morning out of his head. He had to talk to Tommy. What a way to start a new job, huh? By going in three hours late? Daryl chuckled to himself a little bit.

He’d just tell Tommy he had to go out and remove his last few traps out in the woods before starting at the garage. After all, it was only last night that he was asked to work there on a regular basis. Couldn’t just leave the traps out there for anyone to stumble across. Tommy wouldn’t have a problem with it.

He arrived and hung up his jacket on an empty hook in the office, and went to find Tommy. His eyes passed over the commotion of the shop and located the man on his back underneath a new-looking pickup truck.

“Hey, Tom,” Daryl called, bending slightly so the man could see who it was.

“Oh, hey man. Was wondering if you skipped town on me,” Tommy said, his voice muffled.

“Nah man. I’m here to work. Sorry I’m late. Had to clear my traps before I came.”

“No big deal. Glad you’re here. I can’t figure out where this leak is coming from. Take a look for me?” Tommy asked.

Daryl pulled up his sleeves, slid under the truck, and got to work.

Meanwhile back at the apartment, Kate had made herself comfortable on the couch. She flipped around the TV channels for a few minutes before settling on some old sitcom reruns. Her eyelids were heavy, but she suddenly realized she was starving. She plucked the bag of trail mix off the table and ate slowly, savoring it. The last thing she ate was breakfast the day before, and last night all she consumed was that can of beer the bartender had slipped her. She was surprised he did that, to be honest. Any other time she went out for a drink she was always carded. She looked a lot younger than she was, she supposed. Then again, only having turned twenty-one a few months previously, she didn’t feel too bad about that. And it definitely perked her up when the guy treated her kindly after being brushed off by that waitress.

She desperately needed a job though, and soon. She didn’t have a degree in anything even though she had spent the last three and a half years at the State University. She was twelve credits shy of obtaining her Bachelors in Early Childhood Education. But even that wouldn’t do her much good, even if she’d finished…you needed a Masters. And there was no way she’d ever be able to afford it, not at this rate.

Things had been going well for Kate until recently. She’d used her savings and a grant to complete these last few years of schooling. She was living with her friend Donna and her husband Chris in a rural area outside the town where the university was located, and worked part time as a waitress at an upscale restaurant to pay for books and food. She would have done anything to stay away from her addict parents and abusive brother, so she could provide herself with a good, stable life. She was so close to her goal.

Then one day, her friend’s house was raided. Kate herself was almost arrested along with Donna and Chris. She had no idea they had been producing meth in the dilapidated old barn at the back of the property. The restaurant she worked for caught wind of the scandal and fired her on the spot, not even caring that she had nothing to do with the married couple’s crimes. It wouldn’t be good for business if they’d kept her. That was the downside to living in a small town. Everyone knew everything, the gossip ran thick.

She lost her grant when her grades slipped, and that was that. She was using what was left of the money she had saved to find cheap places to sleep at night as she hunted for a new job in a different county. Kate hoped someone would hire her under the table, at least at first, ‘cause she wasn’t sure she would be able to provide a valid address or phone number until a few weeks had passed and she had enough money for a deposit on an apartment.

Lost in thought, she jumped when she heard the phone ring in her lap.

“Hello?” she answered timidly.

“Ain’t nappin’ yet girl?” came Daryl’s rumbling voice.

“I was about to. Just got hungry,” she replied.

“Oh. Okay then. Just making sure,” he said.

“Yeah. Thank you. Hey listen, speaking of being hungry, I was thinkin’ maybe since I didn’t have to pay for a motel room last night I’d buy us a pizza or something later. I’ll have it delivered. It’s the least I could do for stealing your couch,” she said with an audible grin.

“You didn’t steal nothin’. What kinda pizza you like? I’ll bring one back with me.”

“I’m not picky. Anything but those weird pineapple pizzas and I’ll be happy.”

“Damn girl, those are my favorite,” Daryl joked.

“Yuck,” she said with a laugh.

“Yuck yourself. I’ll be home ‘round three or four. Go to sleep,” he insisted.

“Alright, see you,” she replied and hung up.

Kate placed the empty bag of trail mix back on the table and muted the TV. She laid down, and had barely closed her eyes before she was out.

Daryl replaced the office phone on its base, relieved. He’d spent most of the afternoon working on the pickup, and coming up with all kinds of crazy thoughts on how she could get hurt being alone in the apartment. She could fall on her way to the bathroom. She could trip on something trying to get a glass of water. The dumbest thing she could do was attempt to shower while she had the place to herself, and end up slipping in the wet tub and knocking herself out. He felt much better after getting a hold of her. She sounded fine, not out of breath or anything. Even somewhat cheerful. It put his mind at ease, and he figured he wouldn’t call again, so she could get as long of a nap as she needed.

He went back into the shop and pulled out a few tools he’d need for his bike. The pickup was done, and the rest of the guys had the other vehicle’s engine replacement almost completed. Daryl could continue to repair his bike for a little while before heading out. He was pleased to see everything in his little corner just as he’d left it, and got right to work.

A few hours later, Tommy was glad to see Daryl wash up and clock out before the rest of the guys went home. He must have plans, Tommy surmised. Good. Daryl could use a distraction. He’d been working too hard, spending all his time hunting and fixing the motorcycle. He waved at Daryl as the new employee walked toward the parking lot.

“Okay. Pizza,” Daryl mumbled as he pulled away from the garage. He drove toward town and stopped at a decent looking pizza parlor. He placed his order with the girl behind the counter, paid, and waited. It smelled fantastic in there. His stomach rumbled. Daryl hadn’t realized how hungry he was. All the fuss this morning made him forget about the black coffee and glazed donut he usually grabbed at the corner store before starting his day. Ten minutes later he left, pizza box in hand, and headed home.

He let himself in as quietly as possible. He had even tucked the chain on his wallet deep into his pocket so it wouldn’t make noise as he entered. The TV was on, but muted. The bag of trail mix and the water he left on the table were both still there, but empty. Good, he thought, she didn’t get up at all. All that worrying for nothin’. He peeked over the back of the couch at her as he walked towards the kitchen to put the pizza down. Kate was almost invisible under the blanket, with just her head exposed. She was snuggled into the cushions as deep as she could go, a serene expression on her face, fast asleep, and oblivious to Daryl’s presence. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was four-thirty. Damn, he thought. He called her around noon. She’d been out for four hours. Good, she definitely needed it.

He sat down in the kitchen and took off his boots, so his stomping wouldn’t wake her. He removed his jacket and shirt as well, since it was completely filthy from work.

“Daryl?”

A moment of silence followed his name.

“Damn. Did I wake you?” he asked her finally.

“No. Well, I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter,” she yawned. “I feel like a million bucks though. Needed that.” She tried to stretch but yelped when the pain in her back and sides reminded her she wasn’t supposed to move that way just yet. “Whoops,” she muttered sheepishly.

He heard her yelp and winced. “Medicine. You’d best stay on top of it. Don’t wanna wait ‘til the pain comes back before you take more,” Daryl insisted, walking over to refill her glass.

“You’re right. Thank you,” she replied, eyes widening when she saw that he’d taken off his shirt. She caught herself though, and determinedly avoided looking at his gorgeously muscled chest, which was covered in a thin layer of dark, soft looking hair.

“Don’t have to thank me every time I get you water, girl,” he said with half a grin.

“Can’t help it. It’s good manners, right?”

“Yeah, guess so. But still.”

He sat in silence as she took two more pills and watched her grimace as they stuck in her throat on the way down.

“Good girl. Got that pizza. Hungry?”

“Starving!” she replied with a smile, praying he didn’t notice the shiver that danced down her spine when he called her a good girl.

“I got half pineapple, for me,” he told her as he reached for the box. The look on her face in response was priceless; he couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Man you really don’t like that huh? I’m just playin’. Bacon, peppers, and onions. That alright?” he asked.

“Perfect,” she replied, relieved, hoping her face didn’t betray her racing heart. His laugh was intoxicating—even more so because he rarely did it. She wanted to hear it again.

“Stay there, I’ll bring the stuff to you,” Daryl said as he noticed Kate trying to get up and head to the kitchen. He gathered up the pizza box and a couple paper plates and napkins and set it all down on the coffee table. “Mind?” he asked, motioning toward the couch.

“Oh gosh, Daryl! This is your couch, don’t ask me if you can sit on it!” she stuttered, pulling the blanket towards her so he could sit.

He sat rather close to her, she noticed. Probably so he didn’t have to reach halfway across the room for a slice of pizza. Her heart started racing even faster than it did when he laughed a few moments earlier; their arms bumped against each other as they both reached for the pizza at the same time.

“Here, why don’t you let me set you up?”

God, he couldn’t let that happen again. The sensation of her soft skin brushing against him turned his legs to jelly. Good thing he was sitting down. He figured it was probably safer if he just fixed her plate for her. He handed her a napkin and a plate with two pieces of pizza on it. He pushed her freshly filled glass a little closer to her on the table. Then he served himself. They sat together in companionable silence, enjoying dinner, each one painfully aware of how close the other was.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little bit o' nakedness :)

CHAPTER SEVEN

“I want to say thanks for dinner, but I know you’re gonna get your knickers in a twist if I do,” Kate giggled a while later as she set her empty plate on the coffee table. Daryl smirked at her, glad she was catching on. “I wish I could at least clean it up for us though.”

“It’s just paper. Don’t worry about it. It’s just going straight in the trash.”

“Guess you’re right. As usual,” she smiled gracefully.

He got up, put all the used plates and napkins in the empty pizza box, and tossed it in the garbage can in the kitchen. “There. Done.” He spread his arms as if to say ‘ta-da!’

She couldn’t help it. She felt great from her nap, the steady flow of painkillers, and delicious pizza for dinner. She burst out in a fit of laughter. Tears, the good kind this time, were streaming down her face before she could stop them. Daryl looked completely confused for a moment, then couldn’t help but join in. Her laughter was contagious. Sweet and musical and full of innocence. It made his heart soar to listen.

It took a few minutes before they calmed down. They avoided looking at each other so they wouldn’t start laughing all over again. Kate had her face hidden with her hands for good measure.

“God,” she gasped as the last of the laughter dissipated. “That hurt but I don’t even care. You’re too funny Daryl.” She giggled again, but was able to contain herself.

“I don’t even know what the hell that was about,” Daryl replied, grinning.

“Doesn’t matter,” she said. “I needed that. I feel so content right now,” she admitted.

“Yeah?” Daryl asked, looking straight at her, so handsome in just his jeans.

“Yeah,” she confirmed, still smiling. “Although I have to admit, there is just one more thing I need before I can say I’m at a hundred percent,” she added.

Daryl looked concerned. “What might that be?” he asked.

“A shower.”

He looked over her, thoughtfully, before finally answering. “I don’t know,” he said, “I don’t know how we’re gonna do that. I’d put a chair in there for you but these won’t fit,” he said, waving toward the chairs in the kitchen.

“A bath?” Kate suggested.

“You’d be sitting in a tub of dirty water, but it’d be better than nothing,” he said, considering it.

“How about if I rinse off first? You could hang in there with me for a minute until I get most of the dirt off. To make sure I don’t fall, I mean. It’s not like you haven’t already seen everything,” she added, hanging her head a bit to hide her embarrassment.

Daryl saw the shame cloud her pretty face and hated that she felt it.

“I didn’t see nothin’,” he said, a little defensively. “First thing I did was give you my jacket, wasn’t it?” he demanded.

“Yeah,” she mumbled. “I just thought—“

“Well whatever you thought, it was wrong. I ain’t like that,” he grumbled quietly.

“No, you’re not. I’m sorry. I don’t really remember a lot of what happened.” Her head still hung low, dusty hair falling in her face, hiding her gorgeous features.

“That’s probably a good thing,” Daryl replied. They lapsed into silence again, a much less comfortable one than when they were enjoying their pizza.

“I guess I’ll just do my best with the shower,” Kate finally said, adjusting herself in preparation to stand. “I can’t stay like this, I feel disgusting.”

“I’ll help.”

Kate nodded, a little sadly. She wished she and Daryl could stay on the same page. Those few minutes they laughed together positively exhilarated her.

She looked up at him as he came toward her to help her up. “Look,” she began, “I’m sorry for whatever I said. I can’t seem to quit saying stupid things. Could we just forget it and pick up where we left off? Please?”

“It ain’t you,” Daryl replied after a moment. The way she said ‘please’ sent blood rushing to the base of his spine. “I’m used to people thinkin’ the worst of me and I guess it just gets under my skin.” He paused a bit, avoiding her gaze, and continued. “I shouldn’t keep jumpin’ down your throat. I like havin’ you here.”

Heat burned his cheeks after his little admission. He didn’t dare look at her, afraid she’d be staring back at him in disgust.

“Daryl…”

He shook his head and gritted his teeth, still keeping his eyes averted.

Kate sighed before saying quietly, “I like being here.” She lifted her hand to his shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. He didn’t say anything.

They reached the shower much faster than she would have if she didn’t have help, and he got the water running for her. “Don’t want it too hot,” he said. “Or those cuts will burn like hell.”

“It’s okay,” she replied. “I feel so disgusting, I don’t even care.”

“You will,” Daryl said, but left it at that. He turned the heat to an acceptable level before turning to her. “How you wanna do this?” he asked  
.  
“Do what?” she asked, confused.

“Get…undressed. You know. To wash off?”

“Oh!” she exclaimed. She hadn’t thought of that. But she squared her shoulders bravely and replied, “I just don’t care anymore. All I want is to get clean. And I’m sure you’re just gonna tell me there’s nothing to be embarrassed about right?”

“Right,” he replied tersely.

“Well then. You hold me steady, close your eyes, and I’ll get undressed. Then I’ll step into the shower and rinse off. You’ll be right here if I feel like I’m gonna fall. I'll be quick. Okay?”

“Whatever works,” he grunted, closing his eyes.

He was still holding her up by her arms so she started with the pajama bottoms. She reached down slightly and shimmied them off, using her toes to take her socks off. Then she grabbed his hands and put them on her hips so she could remove her shirt. She slowly lifted it over her head so as not to jostle her poor bones, intending on taking her bra off with it. She reached a certain point though, where she just couldn't lift any further to get it off-- it hurt too much. Sensing the struggle and keeping his eyes closed, Daryl gently assisted as best he could. Once it was off, she reached down one final time and tugged off her panties, wiggling them down instead of bending, then kicking everything away from the tub so neither of them would trip.

Daryl was paralyzed. He couldn’t believe his hands were on her bare skin and she didn’t seem to mind at all. The moment he felt her wiggle out of her pants his heart almost stopped. And when she moved his hands to the smooth curve of her hips, he nearly passed out with the effort of keeping his eyes closed. He thanked God above that she couldn’t see what he was thinking at that moment. He couldn’t help it. He pictured what she must look like, standing there with her hair a long wavy mess, topless, her bare breasts probably centimeters away from brushing against him. Then she bent down a second time. His heart was suddenly beating in his throat when he realized she was taking off her underwear. He was holding a completely naked gorgeous young girl by the hips. Kate. And she didn’t even mind. It was her fuckin’ idea. He could feel goose bumps forming and rising up from his skin, and he prayed silently that nothing else on his body would have the same inclination. He shuddered at the sensation of his calloused palms gripping her small, baby soft curves. He didn’t know what was going to happen next.

Kate was holding her breath, wondering if he was going to give in and open his eyes. The feel of his strong hands gripping her bare skin tightly, protecting her from falling, was ironically making her weak in the knees. But she was also scared; if he looked at her, all he would see was cuts and bruises and dirt. Ugliness. But, she suddenly realized, it didn’t really matter. He already knew what she looked like, even if all he saw was her face. And if he wasn’t repulsed by that, then why would he be repulsed by the rest? She could feel him quiver just the tiniest bit. She made up her mind. It was now or never.

All of a sudden Daryl felt her beautiful, pouty lips press gently against his cheek. He didn’t move.

“You’re wonderful, Daryl,” she whispered.

Suddenly he was spinning. His eyes were still closed but he felt as though he was being projected through space at the speed of light.

She was hugging him. The moment her warm skin touched his, it was as if his whole body became electrified. She pressed her breasts against his bare chest and reached around to give him the sweetest, most genuine hug he had ever received. In that moment, it seemed to last forever…but ended almost instantly. Kate sighed deeply and brought her hands up to his shoulder for balance as she stepped into the shower.

Daryl was still standing there motionless when he heard her groan from the other side of the curtain.

“Oh god,” she breathed. “I’ve never been so grateful for warm water.”

He didn’t reply.

“Daryl?”

He tried to clear his throat and answer her but it wasn’t working.

“I hope I didn’t upset you,” came that meek little voice of hers a few moments later.

Damn it, Kate thought. She was wrong. He was disgusted. Why shouldn’t he be? She probably smelled like dirt, motor oil, and onions. And she had pressed her torn-up body against him without any indication whatsoever that he wanted her to. How stupid could she be? Oh god. He probably thought she was a slut. Between the compromising situation he found her in last night, and now hugging him naked? Fuck.

Answer her, damn it! Daryl shouted at himself in his head. But he couldn’t make his throat work. She wrecked him completely, with just one embrace. Now she would never do it again because she probably thought he was an asshole for not talking to her after that. She was brave. She hugged him first, and kissed him, naked on top of it all, and he couldn’t even tell her how beautiful she was. How much he liked what she did. He took a deep breath and steeled himself.

“No,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “You didn’t upset me.” He paused. He didn’t know what else to say. “You surprised me is all.”

“Surprised myself,” she replied bitterly through the curtain.

“Maybe, if you felt like it I mean, you could do it again,” Daryl stuttered. “I’d like to at least hug you back next time.” Shit. He sounded so fuckin’ stupid.

“You…you mean it?” Kate asked, not daring to believe her ears.

“Definitely,” he replied, relief washing over him that he was able to get something halfway decent out of his useless mouth.

“Okay then.” He could practically hear the giant grin that splashed across her gorgeous face as she spoke.

“You good in there? Not gonna slip and fall right?”

“No, but I am getting a little tired. I’m almost clean though, I just gotta rinse out my hair and I’ll be ready to get out,” came Kate’s reply.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl grows a pair!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter but I wanted to get it uploaded. More to come!

CHAPTER EIGHT

Kate took a deep breath and stepped completely under the stream of water falling from the shower head. The felt the mass of bubbles from her hair slide down her shoulders and her back, taking the grime from the night before with it and washing it all down the drain. She felt like a new person. With Daryl’s care and attention and constant urging to keep up with her pain pills, she barely felt like she’d been beaten into unconsciousness twenty-four hours ago. The only giveaway was the fatigue that was beginning to take root in her muscles. She still couldn’t stand for very long, but she was making progress. She turned the knob and shut the water off.

“Do you have a--” In an instant, his hand found its way past the shower curtain, holding a clean white towel.

“Thanks.”

She covered herself with it and tucked the ends in to keep it in place. Pulling back the curtain, she saw Daryl still standing exactly where she left him, ready to assist her. As soon as she stepped out, he pulled her to his chest and hugged her, careful not to squeeze too tightly. One of his hands brushed her shoulder, then her hair. He was caressing her like they’d known each other for years. He brought his fingers to her face and stroked her cheek gently, careful not to put pressure on a bruise by accident.

“Oh,” she sighed, blushing like crazy, but not wanting to pull away. She dared to glance up at his face and was immediately overwhelmed by his deep blue eyes staring into her light ones compassionately.

She was brave to hug him before. Now he had to grow a pair and show her how attractive she was, he thought to himself. Before they left the room and he lost his nerve. Damn the consequences.

He moved his fingers to her chin and tilted her face upwards, toward him. Kate couldn’t breathe. She had no idea what came over him, but she was tingling all over with anticipation. Suddenly time stopped—his lips were pressing urgently against hers—and she melted into him. She felt like her body was made of jelly, and his was stone. She clung to him like her life depended on it, and he held her close.

Daryl didn’t want the kiss to end, so he didn’t let it. He wrapped a hand around her neck and pulled her in deeper. His other arm drifted down from her shoulder to her lower back, pressing her to him as gently as he could. He wanted to make her feel wanted. Oh, god, did he want her. She moaned into his mouth at the pleasure she felt when he pressed his hips into her, holding her firmly in place so she couldn’t move.

The sound she made nearly had him tearing the damn towel she wore to shreds, but he didn’t want to scare her. After all, it wasn’t all that long ago that her clothes had been literally ripped off by those creeps. He hoped she would be able to forget that night. He wanted to help her forget. He wanted to treat her right.

Daryl hoped he wasn’t going too far, but when she slid her arm up his back to hold him, he stopped caring. He reached both his arms down and let his hands slide over her ass. “Hang on,” he growled, then he lifted her by the thighs and wrapped them firmly around his waist. Returning his hands to her back, he proceeded to carry her into the living room without hurting her, kissing her intensely the whole way.

When he placed Kate as gently as possible on the couch, they paused for a moment to catch their breath. Her face was flushed and her eyes wider than he’d ever seen them before. Her hands were shaking and her luscious pink lips were parted wantonly. She didn’t realize what a vision she made.

“Daryl,” she whispered, confused but sure that whatever was going on felt really good.

Kate’s hands slowly came up and gripped the edges of the towel. She never took her pretty eyes off Daryl once, appearing to search his face for a clue, guidance of some kind. She was terribly unsure of herself but thought that this was how you were supposed to act around someone you liked. It did feel good. Just as she was about to tug the knot and let the towel fall, she felt his hands on hers, stopping her.

“No,” he said quietly. She suddenly looked shy and confused. He leaned in to kiss her once more, reassuringly. She couldn’t help but let out a small whine when he did.

“Keep your towel on. I wanna do this right.”

“Do what?” she asked.

“Make you mine. And I’m not gonna start by gettin’ you naked. I like you. Don’t want you thinkin’ you’re just a piece of ass,” he finished solemnly. “How about we go out somewhere? You’re probably sick of these four walls I’m bettin’.”

She flushed scarlet and looked uncertain. “You wanna bring me out somewhere? Looking like this?” she motioned towards her bruised cheeks halfheartedly.

“Don’t,” he growled. “Don’t even think about that. I saw you before you got them bruises, you know.”

“You did? When?” She was stunned.

“When you asked the waitress if she was hiring. I was sitting at the bar. Saw the bartender slip you a beer, too. I noticed you.”

“You want to make me yours?” she asked, suddenly realizing what he said a moment ago.

“Damn right. Long as you don’t mind,” he replied.

Kate didn’t reply, but her dazzling smile was enough of an answer for him.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kate swears at Daryl 0_o ... And Daryl asks her why she's jobless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just an FYI I do my writing on weekdays. Sorry if anyone was checking for an update over the weekend! I expect to churn out at least a chapter per day.

CHAPTER NINE

Daryl helped Kate get dressed and ready to go out. It was late, but she wasn’t all that tired considering the nap she took earlier. Plus the shower had refreshed her, and Daryl’s kisses electrified her.

He grabbed her bra from the bathroom floor and handed it to her, keeping his eyes averted. Though he did get her quite a lot from his little shopping trip that morning, he failed to remember to buy underthings. She wasn’t fussed though. She carefully and slowly pulled a new pair of jeans up over her bare butt, slipped on the bra while being incredibly careful pulling the straps up, and grabbed a pretty navy blue shirt from one of the shopping bags. It was button-down, so she didn't have to worry about getting it over her head, which she knew was impossible right now. She allowed Daryl to help her with her coat. He gingerly pulled the sleeves of burgundy wool up over her shoulders and let his hands rest there for a moment before kissing the top of her head and turning her around to face him. He then buttoned her up like a little doll before fetching socks and the pair of brown boots he’d bought her.

Kate sat on the couch and watched as Daryl slipped each of her feet into the boots and zipped them up for her so she didn’t have to bend down. Then he helped her up, with a boyish grin gracing his otherwise hardened features.

“You look great,” he pronounced.

“You have good taste, sir,” she teased.

“Don’t ‘sir’ me, girl,” he growled, but she saw a telltale glint of humor in his eye that made her giggle. She was so glad she hugged him earlier. And even happier that he had kissed her afterwards. It felt like the veil between them had been torn down and they could finally relax around each other. No more snapping and second-guessing. At least not in this moment.

“Where we going?” Kate asked curiously.

“Dunno yet. You sure you’re up for this?” he replied.

“I’ll be fine. It’ll be nice to get some air, even if it’s cold,” she insisted.

So he held out his arm and assisted her outside, locking the door behind them.

The change of scenery was refreshing. They took their time walking arm in arm, stopping for some coffee and dessert at a diner before driving to a clothing store so Kate could pick up the few things she needed that Daryl forgot.

“I feel like a dumbass for not gettin’ you any before, but I probably woulda felt like an even bigger dumbass if someone saw me tryin’ to pick out ladies’ panties,” he grumbled.

She giggled good-naturedly. “What, you mean you don’t wear this kinda stuff?” She held up a pink pair with a single lace band across the top. The parts of his face that were visible below the dark fringe of hair that lay in his eyes turned as pink as the underwear.

“No. I’mma go wait by the register,” he mumbled.

Kate only took a minute to grab what she came for. When she met Daryl at the register, she tried to pull out the money he had given her earlier but he stopped her and quickly paid the cashier before she could get a word out. “I would have paid for my own stuff!” she insisted as he slowly guided her back to the car. She was slowing down a bit, her injuries catching up to her. He started to think they did too much too soon.

“Keep your money,” he said. “I got a job.”

“Yeah, I guess you do,” she replied. “Well thank you. Maybe tomorrow I should start looking for one again myself.”

“We’ll find you something,” Daryl told her promisingly. “Don’t worry about it for now. You can stay with me ‘til then.”

“Really?”

“Think I would throw you out on the streets?” Daryl asked, without heat.

“Oh well, not when you put it that way. Thank you, Daryl,” she responded quietly as they reached the car. “I feel so lucky to have met you,” she admitted. “Not just ‘cause you saved me and you’re giving me a place to stay, either.” She looked up at him with a coy but genuine smile.

A satisfied smirk flitted across Daryl’s face before he spoke. “I don’t wanna ask, ‘cause it ain’t none of my damn business—so feel free to tell me to get lost if you’d rather not say. But what happened to you anyway? You strike me as the type who has their shit together, not the type who rambles around shitty bars late at night lookin’ for work.” He paused, looking at Kate’s face, to judge her reaction to his question. “I see you as someone successful. Probably not the type to hang around with a fuckin’ mechanic,” he added bitterly, almost as an afterthought.

Kate erupted like a tiny blonde volcano. "Don’t you ever say that again, Daryl! You’re by far the most genuine, respectable gentleman I’ve ever met in my whole fucking life!”

He looked at her, not angry, but surprised that she got so upset over his comment. That was not the reaction he expected out of her. He thought Kate would coddle him; tell him that being a mechanic isn’t SO bad. Perhaps she would say that he could do something better if he applied himself, yadda yadda. Instead she called him a gentleman and swore at him.

“Alright girl, damn,” Daryl replied.

“Okay,” she said breathlessly, calming herself. She wasn’t sure how much to tell him about her current situation. She was embarrassed. But considering everything he had done (and was still doing) for her, she decided on the truth.

Daryl stood, leaning slightly against the car, as she began to speak. She told him about college, how she was so close to her degree, and about Donna and her husband. She told him about the grant she lost after she lost a place to stay, and the restaurant that fired her and told her not to use them as a reference in the future. She even took it one step further and told him all about her drug addict parents that she escaped from when she turned seventeen by moving away to be closer to the university, and her physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive older brother Charlie that she hoped would never ever cross paths with her again. Once she started talking, she found it difficult to stop. Not only had she never told anyone EVERYTHING before, but Daryl was watching her steadily…listening attentively without a hint of judgment in his eyes.

“It sounds like a sob story, I know. I’m not telling you all this to try to make you feel bad for me, so don’t,” she stated defensively as she finished telling him how she came to be in her current predicament. She tried to stand as tall as her body would permit. “I don’t want anyone’s pity.”

“Me either,” Daryl mumbled, knowing exactly how she felt.

“Can we go home now?” Kate asked, becoming slightly uncomfortable and self-conscious as she considered everything she just revealed.

“Yeah,” he replied, trying his best to look reassuring, but not sure if she picked up on it.

They were back at the apartment less than a half hour later after a surprisingly comfortable car ride. Daryl had turned the radio on since he had no idea what to talk about after everything Kate told him, and whatever happened to be playing at that moment turned out to be one of her favorite songs. She hummed along for a short while before she began to sing out loud. He couldn’t help but start laughing at her enthusiasm. She looked slightly embarrassed but she overcame it by just singing louder, as if to goad him. When it ended, he changed the station and found something more his style, and rocked out a little bit by pretending to play the drums on his steering wheel, making her crack up when he whipped his head around like the lead singer in a heavy metal band. He didn’t even care how dumb he looked.

When he pulled into his parking spot he made her wait while he got out first and opened her door for her from the outside with a smart-ass comment about living up to her gentlemanly expectations, making her laugh again. They made their way inside, cheeks flushed from the cold night air, and took off their coats and shoes. Daryl tossed her the remote so she could find something on the TV while he put everything away.

As soon as he sat down on the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table, he found her snuggled in his lap like a puppy. “Hope you don’t mind,” she said. “I’d make an excuse like ‘I’m cold’ or something, but I’d be lying. I kinda just wanna lay with you.” Kate smiled up at him hopefully.

Caught off guard by her blunt words, he merely shrugged and put his arm around her. But inside he was prouder than a peacock, happy that she not only liked him but was comfortable enough to seek him out and tell him so. She made him feel good. He never saw himself as much of a protector or provider, but for her he desperately wanted to be. He looked down at the head in his lap a few moments later to find that Kate had fallen fast asleep. He grinned, tracing the curve of her lip with his finger before laying his hand on her head and stroking her soft hair. It wasn’t too long before he was asleep as well.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're getting pretty good at de-escalation, lol.

Daryl woke to the sound of breaking glass. He leaped from the couch, fists clenched, ready to confront whatever trouble had found him in his home. It took a moment before his brain registered the sight of a girl leaning against the kitchen countertop with shards of black ceramic scattered around her feet. The girl’s eyes slowly rose up from the broken coffee mug on the floor to Daryl’s face, embarrassment clouding her expression. 

“I…I thought I would get some coffee started for you. I’m sorry. I lost my balance when I was reaching for it.” Kate couldn’t believe herself. Never in her life had she felt so incompetent and useless. She’d never once spilled or broken anything during the years she worked as a waitress. She was not used to her body failing to perform simple actions like reaching for a cup on a high shelf.

The adrenaline Daryl felt flooding his body moments before started to dissipate. He thought someone was breaking in. Instead, it was this poor beautiful creature trying to do something nice for him and failing miserably. He took a deep breath.

“No big deal. Everything in this place is probably stale as shit anyway. We can go get us some.”

Daryl walked over to Kate, carefully avoiding the spiky black remains of the mug, and reached past her to close the cabinet. His face was deadly serious as he looked at the floor, then at her face.

Suddenly Kate found herself quickly but gently hoisted up into the air. Her first instinct was to resist but she thought better of it as she glanced down and saw nearly six feet between herself and the ground.

“Daryl!” she yelped, alarmed and confused by her precarious position.

He laughed out loud, a deep belly laugh, with his eyes twinkling at her as he softly sat her back down on the couch he had just hastily evacuated. “What? Couldn’t have you steppin’ on that dead mug over there and getting injured again. Figured better safe than sorry.” With a wink, he quickly returned to the kitchen and picked up the broken pieces from the floor. As he turned and deposited them into the trash, he caught a glimpse of Kate’s sad expression out of the corner of his eye.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Oh I’m alright. Just mad at myself. Wish I wasn’t so damn useless,” Kate replied. She tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice, but she knew she had failed at that too. Daryl’s expression first turned angry, then determined.

“Look, you needta give yourself a break little miss. I bet you ain’t ever broke a bone before have you?” Daryl challenged.

“No,” Kate replied.

“Then why don’t you just take it from me, since I broke more bones more times than I care to remember,” he growled aggressively, feeling himself get all riled up from the leftover adrenaline rush he endured moments earlier. “It sucks, but you need to do as you’re told and heal up before you go makin’ it worse. Doin’ stupid shit like reaching way over your head when you got busted ribs don’t make no goddamn sense, does it?”

Lord, it sounded like he was disciplining her. Like she was an obstinate, idiot child. For the first time in a long time, she truly felt like she was one.

“No, it doesn’t,” she replied quietly. “You’re right, I’m sorry.”

Now he was mad. Why’d she have to go and get all pathetic on him when he was just trying to talk some sense into her and keep her from getting hurt again?

“That’s what I thought,” he growled, taking four long strides into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him.

Kate hung her head and brought her hands up to either side of her face. Something just wasn’t working here. It was most likely her fault—first she got up and rummaged through his things without permission, looking for coffee and mugs, then she broke something that didn’t belong to her, then instead of following Daryl’s lead and being playful and brushing it off she had to act all depressing, then she made him mad. Seemed like she made him mad a lot.

Maybe she was wearing out her welcome? It had only been two days, but it was two days of dealing with a broke, needy crybaby who had nothing to offer. She was terribly unsure of herself. So much had happened in such a short amount of time.

A minute later in the bathroom, Daryl zipped his pants back up and lit a cigarette. He sat down on the edge of the tub, flicking the ashes into the toilet. He needed to control himself better.

They had a real good night, he thought. He hadn’t had that much fun with another person pretty much ever. He was flattered that she opened up to him and told him as much as she did. Made him feel good to know she trusted him like that. He took another drag of his smoke. Yeah sure, she trusted him, until he went and did something stupid like start a fight with her when she was just having a hard time healing up. He was the same way; he hated to sit still and feel useless. He of all people should understand what she was dealing with. What a fuckin’ dope he was.

He finished smoking and flushed the butt down the drain. As he walked out of the bathroom, he saw Kate’s head turn, as if she was hiding her face. He felt like a giant prick.

Right as he was about to speak, he heard Kate quietly say his name.  
“Daryl, I didn’t mean for that to happen. I’m not used to this, you’re right. I need to be more grateful.”

“Nah girl, you’re doin’ better than I’d be if I was the one who got beat up. Last time I was stuck sittin’ around all day I was madder’n a hornet. I don’t blame you for feelin’ pissed off.”

He walked into the kitchen, grabbed a glass from the same cabinet the mugs were in, and filled it with water. He then plopped it on the coffee table in front of Kate, with two more pain pills, and stared at her expectantly. “You gotta stay on top of them, I keep tellin’ ya. I want you to feel better.” She looked at the glass, then at Daryl. She saw the soft apology in his eyes and her heart melted. The corners of her mouth turned up ever so slightly before she gulped down the meds and put the cup back down.

After a moment Daryl spoke again. “I usually stop at the donut shop in the morning for coffee and breakfast. Do you wanna come? Or should I run down there and bring something back for us?”

“Oh I would love to go, but I don’t want to hold you up for work again like I did yesterday. I’ll be okay ‘til later.”

Daryl looked at her with his eyebrows raised. “You wanna sit around here and keep poppin’ pills on an empty stomach until I get home? You nuts? Nah, you’re comin’ with me. Just let me hop in the shower quick then I’ll help ya get ready.”

When Kate didn’t reply, he began to undo his belt as he strolled back into the bathroom. Seeing his heavily muscled forearms work the buckle hanging around his waist sent a pang of longing shooting through Kate’s abdomen. She shook her head as soon as she recognized where her brain was going. “Get a grip,” she mumbled to herself as he disappeared completely behind the bathroom door.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast!

Five minutes later Daryl stepped out of the shower and wrapped the same towel around his waist that Kate had used the day before. Shoot, he forgot to bring clothes with him into the bathroom so he could get dressed. Normally he kept his things either in the hall closet, in a plastic tub in the living room, or just strewn about the place and didn’t have to worry about being modest. Ah well. At least he had the towel, he reminded himself.

As he exited the bathroom accompanied by a cloud of steam, he found Kate on one of the kitchen chairs, struggling to put shoes on. It was hard for her to reach that far without putting extreme pressure on her injuries. She looked pale as a sheet and out of breath. He practically teleported to her side and grabbed her hands.

“Stop it girl. Just stop,” he commanded.

Her jaw was set in determination and frustration. She really wanted to be ready by the time he got out. She slept in her jeans so she didn't have to worry about that, but she hadn’t attempted to put on a fresh shirt yet, and putting her socks back on nearly killed her. Plus the news said it was freezing out today, so she would probably need an extra layer, which meant extra effort. Never before was she so grumpy that November had arrived so quickly.

Instead of harassing her about taking it easy, he just slipped the boots on her feet and patted her shoulder. “I’m almost ready, just give me a minute,” he mumbled as his gaze turned towards the rest of the apartment in search of something clean. Kate tried not to focus on his bare, glistening shoulders and broad back.

She slowly bent towards the shopping bag at her feet where she kept the new clothes that Daryl had bought her. She snatched up a plain white tee shirt and gray sweater and waited for him to finish gathering his things and make his way back into the bathroom to change. She wasn’t sure she would be able to put on a shirt without tipping over in her seat, as much as she didn’t want to have to beg for help for the millionth time.

“You just don’t listen, do ya?” came Daryl’s deep voice suddenly from across the room as he eyeballed the items she was holding. He had a small smile on his rugged face.

As he approached her, she caught the scent of the woods, earthy and wild, combined with the smell of his soap and something else, something uniquely Daryl. She couldn’t put a finger on it. But he smelled divine. She didn’t trust herself to speak as he stopped at her side and asked her what she needed help with. She just shrugged and looked down at the shirts in her lap.

“Yeah, that’s probably not gonna be easy for ya,” Daryl acknowledged as he moved himself behind her. “Get this one off first," he nodded at the button down she still had on from last night. "Then I'll handle the rest. I’ll go slow, just tell me if I’m hurting you and we’ll try it another way.” She deftly undid the buttons on the blue shirt and shrugged it off. She began to bring her arms over her head to make putting the new shirt on easier but whimpered softly at the angry lightning bolt of pain that shot through her chest once she reached a certain point.

When Daryl heard that, he paused, wincing, trying to figure out the best way to continue. A moment later, Kate felt his fingers softly brush against her wrists and upwards. He was using his hand to guide the sleeves over her arms and past her elbows so she didn’t have to reach up any further. It worked with minimal pain, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“I probably would have passed out if I tried that myself, and I would have deserved it too,” she said lightheartedly.

“Pretty much,” Daryl replied with a chuckle. “You wanna take a breather before we get the sweater on?”

“If you don’t mind, yeah. That was rougher than I thought,” Kate accepted gladly.

Daryl nodded. He grabbed his boots and pulled each one on smoothly. Then he grabbed his jacket from the living room and slipped it over his shoulders. He turned back to Kate, who was clutching new sweater to her chest. She was sitting on the chair with one hand on her forehead and one hand across her body, as if she was mentally preparing for the upcoming battle.

Daryl moved back to his previous position behind her so she didn’t feel like he was eyeballing her. He instructed her to put her hands in the sleeves first, while he held the shirt in front of her. Once he dragged the sleeves all the way up her arms, he quickly pulled the gray fabric over her head and down her back, straightening it out as best he could.

She felt stiffer than she did yesterday, which was to be expected. Sometimes you don’t realize how sore you are until a day or two passes. He noticed she had a little less pep in her than she did the day before too. Either she was feeling worse while she healed, or maybe she didn’t sleep that well. That couch was not meant to sleep two people. Or maybe she needed stronger medicine. Or maybe she needed a good meal, something healthier than the pizza and dessert he fed her yesterday. Daryl was suddenly worried that he wasn’t taking care of her as well as he thought.

“What’s wrong?” Kate asked, worried that Daryl seemed to have zoned out for a moment.

“Nothing, hang on, lemme get your coat.” He snapped back to reality and snatched her coat as quickly as he could, suddenly in a hurry to get breakfast in her as soon as possible. He grabbed his keys and his wallet and ushered her out the door as soon as she was buttoned up.

“Didn’t you say the coffee place was right down the road? We don’t have to waste the gas, I can walk,” Kate offered, anxious to do whatever she could to be less of a burden.

“Nah, I got work, better make this quick,” Daryl replied, fibbing a bit. He wanted to get there fast, before the morning rush. Wouldn’t want Kate to pass out while waiting in line. Kate was a little taken aback, but he missed her expression as he sat her in the passenger seat and hurried over to the driver’s side. She felt like more of a burden after that statement than she did after breaking the mug this morning, but she chose not to say anything. She was the reason he was hours late to work yesterday, after all.

They reached the coffee shop in barely 60 seconds. He wasn’t kidding when he said it was right down the street. It smelled delicious, and for a moment Kate forgot about everything else except the sugary treats that were waiting to be devoured inside. She had a terrible sweet tooth, but came back to her senses and promised herself to order just a coffee. Daryl would most likely insist on paying, and she didn’t want to waste any more of his money than what he’d already spent on her.

He helped her out of the car, gentleman that he was, and put his arm around her waist to help steady her as they made their way inside. She was so enamored with the gorgeous pastries and donuts the shop had on display that she missed the disapproving glances that the other patrons were shooting her way.

First they noticed Daryl, not Kate. He was hard to miss with his broad, muscled frame, leather jacket, chain wallet, and the steely glint in his eye. He looked like trouble. But then they saw that he had his arm wrapped tightly around a small woman who was covered in cuts and bruises, and immediately they all thought the same thing: that she was a stupid young girl who was dating an abusive boyfriend, probably because he supplied her with drugs. Maybe he even rented her out. The town had its fair share of those types, so it wasn’t an unfair assumption. It was a little odd that people like them would be out and about this early in the morning, but stranger things have happened.

The cashier, a new guy who hadn't met Daryl before, almost didn’t remember to wipe the look of disgust from his face until the second before the couple came up to place their order.

“Large black for me, and an apple fritter to go with it. What do you like Kate? How about a veggie omelet or something?” He hoped she would pick something with fruit or vegetables, meat too, since all that stuff would help her body get better quicker. He wished he could just cook for her himself but his apartment was completely devoid of food.

“Oh gosh no, that’s too much,” Kate replied, surprised. “Not unless you wanna share it with me?” she asked.

“I’ll eat whatever vegetables I have to if it means you’ll eat some too,” he said with a wink.

“And maybe a coffee?” she added, in her quiet, shy voice.

“Oh that’s a given,” he said. Turning back to the cashier he repeated the order. “Two large coffees, an apple fritter and a veggie omelet. Oh and two sides of bacon. That’ll do it.”

There was a rapid exchange of cash, and then Daryl guided Kate to the smaller counter to the side to wait for their food. He suddenly kissed the top of her head.

“What was that for?” Kate asked with her big blue eyes as round as they could go, staring up at Daryl.

“Just glad you’re eating something healthy. Didn’t want you to fight me on breakfast,” he said with a satisfied smile.

“And what would have happened if she did? Would you put her back in her place?” boomed a deep, sneering voice from several feet away, but coming closer.

Kate whipped her head around way too fast, searching for the source of the intimidating voice. She clung to Daryl even tighter than before so she didn’t lose her balance. Her apprehension skyrocketed.

“I think it’s best if you mind your own, bud,” Daryl growled at the man who had interrupted them as he squared his shoulders and stood up straight. Kate felt him shove her gently, trying to get her hidden behind him. She complied without hesitation.

“I think its best when women don’t walk around in public looking like someone just pulled them out of a blender,” the man shot back. He was about Daryl’s height but beefier. He had two friends behind him, cocky expressions on their faces, as though they were yearning for Daryl to throw the first punch since it was a public place. “How about it little lady, want to dump this loser and come with me? I’ll treat ya right, I promise. I don’t hit my woman.” he said in an oily, pompous voice, nodding his head once in Daryl’s direction.

Kate was petrified. She pulled herself together however, and stepped out halfway from behind Daryl’s back. “Leave us alone,” she managed to say without letting her voice shake.

The man's eyes betrayed that he was infuriated by her dismissal. “Aw come on,” he began again, his voice dropping to a sinister pitch that no one else could hear besides his friends, Daryl, and Kate. “I can give you things that this dirty redneck couldn’t even pronounce.” He glared in Daryl’s direction. “Or maybe you won’t come with me cause I haven’t offered you money yet?” he spat.

Kate felt Daryl’s muscles tense and bulge even through his heavy leather jacket. “No,” she whispered, grabbing the material in her fists and pulling him towards her. “He’s a lowlife, let’s just go, okay?”

At that moment, their order appeared on the counter beside them. Kate grabbed the bagged-up boxes with one hand and Daryl’s wrist with the other. She tried to tug him away but he stood immovable as a granite statue, glaring at Beefy and his buddies. Suddenly she realized nearly everyone’s eyes in the shop were on her, filled with disdain. Overwhelmed with shock and humiliation, she ran.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Patti the nurse!

It only took her moments to reach Daryl’s blue beater and set the food down on the hood, but she knew as soon as she got there that she was going to pay for what she did. Her lungs were on fire, and it felt like she was being stabbed repeatedly with a hot blade on her right side. Her breaths came in short spurts, and blackness was beginning to cloud her vision. Any strength that she had gained over the past couple days was instantly gone. She tried to hold on to the car but her hands shook and there was nothing to grab. She slid down toward the sidewalk, slowly at first, then faster. Her knees crashed onto the concrete. That’s the last thing she remembered.

Daryl stood in shock as a strawberry blonde blur sailed past him towards the door. He stared in disbelief momentarily, not understanding how Kate could suddenly move so fast. How was that the same girl that needed help getting dressed this morning? He looked around, wondering if perhaps he was confused and Kate was still in the shop with him, but all he received in return were glares of disgust. Totally bewildered, he exited the shop using the same door that the sprinter had used, ignoring Beefy completely as though he was never there.

As soon as his eyes spotted his car, he watched in horror as Kate fell in a crumpled heap on the cold sidewalk next to it. He ran to her side, still just as confused as before, but now also torn between relief at finding her, and terror at her lifeless face. A small crowd had gathered around the pair, mostly surprised and chatty passersby, who did nothing but stare and whisper to each other instead of helping. Suddenly a large pink figure came barreling out from between two gossiping young women.

“MOVE, everyone! Move!” The brunette in pink scrubs pushed a snooty looking rubbernecker aside with considerable force as she made her way over. She addressed Daryl without taking her eyes off Kate. “What’s wrong with her?”

“She got beat up a couple days ago, I think she has a cracked rib or two. She just ran full speed out of the coffee shop, no idea why,” Daryl replied, totally bewildered and anxiety-ridden.

“I’m a nurse. My name’s Patti. Have you called an ambulance?” the nurse asked.

“No,” Daryl replied, shaking his head. “I don’t think either one of us has the money for that.”

“Understood,” Nurse Patti replied. She pulled a small kit from her purse and fussed over the unconscious girl for a few moments, putting the kit under Kate’s feet and draping her coat over Kate’s slight frame to keep her warm. Then Daryl suddenly remembered, “Wait! Yes, I can pay for the ambulance!”

The nurse looked over at him in surprise. “What changed in the last 20 seconds?” she asked, her voice dripping with good-natured sarcasm.

“I been savin’ up to buy some land. I just keep putting money away and forgettin’ it’s there. I really forgot it was there. But if she needs a doctor I don’t care, I’ll get her one.”

Patti turned back to Kate and didn’t reply to Daryl for a few minutes. Daryl looked on intently, wishing there was something he could do. As the nurse began to measure Kate’s pulse rate for the third time, Kate suddenly opened her eyes and gasped, then doubled over from the pain of such a deep breath.

“KATE!” Daryl shouted, immense relief washing over him.

“You hush and back off, buddy,” Nurse Patti said sharply, flapping her hands in his direction. Daryl obeyed, as much as he didn’t want to. He was so consumed by his own panic and worry that he couldn’t even make out the quiet words exchanged between the two women. All he knew was that Kate’s eyes were open and the nurse was looking more relaxed than she did before. He didn’t know how much time passed before Patti finally turned back to him and spoke.

“You don’t have to take her to the hospital, but I would feel better if I could come check on her a time or two. Let’s get her in the car.”

Once Kate was settled in, pale and quiet but comfortable, Daryl finally asked the question that had been burning on the tip of his tongue since he left the coffee shop.

“What the hell happened Kate? Why’d you run out like that?”

Kate looked down, embarrassed. She didn’t want to tell Daryl about the other customers in the store and her crazy overreaction to them, especially not when a stranger was sitting in the car with them. She was a very kind stranger, sure, but still.

“I’ll explain later, just give me a little bit okay?” she replied softly. Daryl had to be satisfied with that for the moment. 

He didn’t ask again, but he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Was she afraid that he wouldn’t protect her from those men? How could she think that, when he already defended her from a bunch of bozos like them once before? Or maybe she was embarrassed of him and didn’t want to be seen in public with a redneck with all those well-to-do folks around? All he knew for sure was that he’d never seen anyone take off like that without a clear reason, like a gun bein’ drawn or a hog barrelin’ straight at you in the middle of the woods. He didn’t like not knowing.

They reached the apartment quickly. Kate barely had to move a muscle between Daryl and Patti both helping her inside. Today was quickly turning into one of the most humiliating days of her life, and it wasn’t even 8am. This was becoming a pattern, and Kate was NOT okay with it.

Patti asked a bunch of questions once Kate got settled on the couch. Seemed like she never left that damn couch. Patti wanted to know if she was coughing up or peeing blood, if she felt congested or stuffy, if breathing was becoming harder to do aside from the side effects of her little run this morning, and if she was a smoker. Apparently the nurse was satisfied with her answers because she packed up her kit and patted Kate on the head in a motherly fashion before saying she’d be back tomorrow. She called herself a cab and left her phone number with Daryl so he could get in touch with her if anything started to worry him between now and then.

As soon as Patti closed the door behind her, Daryl whipped around and stared Kate dead in the eyes. He wanted to know once and for all what on EARTH that was all about. He didn’t even have to say it out loud.

Kate inhaled as deeply as she could (which wasn’t very deep) and slowly let the air back out with a tiny huff. “Everyone was staring at me.”

He was immediately irritated and confused. “The people in the shop? Well yeah they were staring, that fat-assed idiot who started shit with me meant to put on a show back there. That’s what pompous old fuck heads do. You nearly killed yourself cause o’ that?” Daryl had a steely glare in his eyes that Kate had never seen him direct at her before. He was beyond mad—he was pissed.

“No Daryl. They were staring at ME. They were looking at me like I was a cockroach. It was the same look I got when I was fired from my job. They all thought I was disgusting. They didn’t want me near them. And today, they all thought I really was a whore. I look the part. That jerk didn’t even have to say it out loud the way he did. They all were thinking it. They didn’t want me near them.”

She looked down, misery consuming her. “I used to be a nice girl. I was gonna be a teacher. Then Donna and Chris went and got arrested, and ever since then people have been treating me like I’m scum. I’m starting to feel like scum too. I have no job, no family, no money, I look like a prostitute with all these marks all over me, and I can’t even dress myself. I threw myself at you yesterday like a disgusting slut-- maybe I really am one. Maybe this is what my life was meant to be. I can’t imagine anyone wanting me teaching their kids anymore after all this. That waitress at Trapp’s didn’t even want me around her customers.”

Kate stopped for a moment and took another deep breath before continuing. “Do you know how many times I’ve been turned down since I left my old town? I can’t put down my old restaurant for a reference, so on paper it looks like I’ve never even had a job before. I was there for four years. Four years of hard work and studying at the same time, all for nothing. I’ve tried sixteen places Daryl. And not one of them would give me the time of day. And now? Yeah right. No one’s gonna hire me looking like ‘I just got pulled out of a blender,’ as that man was kind enough to point out. How am I supposed to get my life back?” The last bit was more of a statement than a question, and she wasn’t expecting a response anyway.

Daryl didn’t know what to say to all that. He looked back at Kate, wondering if she had anything else on her mind. She looked incredibly sad, but her jaw was set in determination not to cry. That glimmer of strength in her eyes made Daryl soften his stance and unclench his fists.

“I don’t wanna tell you it’s gonna be alright. That ain’t gonna help you feel better right now. But I will tell you that if you ever pull that shit on me again, there’s gonna be hell to pay girl.” Daryl sat down on a chair facing Kate. He looked suddenly exhausted, and he hadn’t even gone to work yet.

“You’re not a whore neither. I bet you feel all kinds o’ fucked up after what happened to you at Trapp’s but don’t let it get under your skin or you won’t ever be able to shake it. Beat it down, and do it quick. Them fucks ain’t even real men, cause real men ain’t gotta terrorize a woman to feel good about themselves. Remember that. It tooka whole group of ‘em to corner you, cowards they are. ‘N you stood your ground. You’re braver’n most.”

Kate looked back at Daryl solemnly, absorbing every word he was saying. His drawl got stronger when he was heated. 

“And you ain’t a whore for lettin’ me kiss you like I did. If anything you looked nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full o’ rockin’ chairs.”

Kate blushed like mad at his comparison. She looked down, avoiding his face, but he got up off the kitchen chair and moved towards where she was sitting on the couch. He plopped himself next to her and grabbed her chin so she would look at him as he spoke again.

“You ain’t never even been with a man before, have ya?” he demanded softly.

She inhaled sharply and slammed her eyes closed, a grimace plastered over where her smile usually shone. She was embarrassed and did not want to answer that question.

“Kate, come on. Jus’ tell me, its fine.”

Slowly, she opened her eyes, but kept looking directly at the floor. “No I haven’t,” she whispered, barely even able to hear herself.

She suddenly looked up at Daryl, a challenge in her eyes, and spoke more forcefully than he’d heard her yet. “People don’t know that though, so it doesn’t matter. They’ll think the worst anyway.” She crossed her arms, almost like she was trying to hug herself.

Daryl sighed. She wasn’t wrong, but it didn’t matter. He wanted to figure out how to help her turn things around. If there was a textbook example of a good person down on their luck, it was Kate. She hadn’t given up yet though, her feisty attitude and desire to help out made that obvious. It would make his job easier. As long as she didn’t pull anything stupid again.

“Listen little miss. I gotta go to work. Luckily that nurse remembered to grab our stuff from the donut shop off the hood of the car and brought it home with us. I’m gonna heat yours up. When I get home I want it gone. I’m gonna check the trash to make sure you really ate it all too.”

She glared at him halfheartedly, wondering what his point was.

He continued. “Tomorrow we’re gonna call Patti and have her give you another checkup. Then in a couple days we’re gonna start checkin’ out places you can work. Something easy where you can sit down, like a secretary or somethin’. No waitressing. I’m not havin’ you runnin’ around jockeying burgers for assholes who forget to tip.”

The look he gave her when he finished speaking told her there was no room for discussion.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's getting obvious that Daryl has a crush :)

Work seemed to drag for Daryl that day. He had felt more emotions just that morning than he’d felt over the course of his entire lifetime. He wasn’t used to it. He was beat. Mentally exhausted. And still his mind continued to worry. He couldn’t stop thinking about Kate and how she was doing all alone back at his place. He didn’t want to call her cause he hoped she was sleeping, plus he didn’t want Tommy to think he was slacking. He had given her the number for the garage and told her to let him know if she needed anything, but so far the only calls the shop took that morning were work-related. He wasn’t sure if he was glad about that or not.

Lunchtime rolled around and he couldn’t take it anymore. He speed-walked into the office and grabbed the phone. It rang on the other end four times before a sleepy voice murmured “Hello?”

“Ah damn, I’m sorry, I was hoping I wasn’t gonna wake you by callin’,” Daryl muttered.

“No it’s okay, I’ve been asleep since you left. What time is it?”

“’Bout one. Did ya eat?”

“Yeah most of it. Thanks for getting it for me. I have a little left I might heat up later.” Kate wasn’t really sure what else to say. The fog from her nap wouldn’t leave her brain, and for the moment she desperately wanted to pass back out again.

“Glad to hear it. Good girl.”

That woke her up. She held her breath for a moment as a tingle shot down her spine in response to his words.

“What time should I expect you home?” she asked, suddenly sounding more cheerful than tired.

“Probably four-ish, same as before,” he replied, not sure what changed her mood so abruptly.

“Okay. See you then,” she replied, looking forward to it.

“Bye,” he murmured before hanging up.

Daryl stared at the phone for a moment after he replaced it onto the base, unsure what to make of that conversation, but allowing half a smile to form at one corner of his mouth. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, convinced that stress just had him out of sorts, and headed out to his car to go get some food. Two of the other mechanics watched him pass by. Daryl was oblivious to their presence, lost in his thoughts, and they shared a knowing grin with each other as they both figured out that the grumpy fella seemed to have a girl waiting at home. They were glad for him.

Kate was energized by the short phone call. Felt nice to have someone give a damn. Didn’t hurt that that someone was incredibly handsome and sweet. She so badly wished she could do something for him, since he had been so nice to her. Hell, he had practically turned his whole life upside down just to take care of her. And it seemed that all she brought him was trouble.

She sat on the green sofa contemplating for a solid five minutes before an invisible light bulb clicked on in her mind. “Yes, that’s doable,” she murmured to herself. Slowly she pushed herself up to stand and grabbed the box of half-eaten food. Three or four shuffling steps brought her to the microwave, where she popped the box in and pressed the one-minute button. She turned around while her food re-heated, and began investigating.

She opened cabinets as carefully and deliberately as she could, searching for cleaning fluid of some kind. There wasn’t much, but she was able to locate a half-full jug of bleach, some ancient looking ajax powder, and a scrub brush under the kitchen sink, next to the rubbing alcohol they had used for her splinters. She left those three things out on the counter and turned back to her food. There were only a few bites left so she finished quickly and threw the empty box away. She felt good. Determined.

First she filled the sink with hot water then used a wet paper towel to dampen the countertops. She sprinkled the ajax powder over them and began to scrub it in with the brush. She took her time, stopping every thirty seconds or so until she got used to the motion. She used most of the cleaning supplies and spent the next two hours going over every surface in the apartment, taking about 20 breaks as she worked. Doorknobs, faucet handles, and nearly every surface in the bathroom got cleaned except the floor of the tub, which she couldn’t reach without taking an unnecessary risk. She poured some bleach in the toilet and the sinks, and let them soak while she put the cleaning supplies away, tidied up some odds and ends, and searched for a broom.

She did find one hiding behind the fridge, but it was probably the oldest broom on earth. The bristles were permanently bent at almost a ninety degree angle. Resigned to making do with what she had, she did her best using it to sweep up, and actually felt pretty satisfied when she finished. Instead of bending down with a dust pan to pick up all the dust and crumbs from the floor, she swept the pile out the door where it was blown away immediately. It helped that the apartment was so small and she didn’t have to stay on her feet very long. Plus there was always a wall within arm’s reach if she needed to lean on something for a moment.

The smell of bleach was starting to penetrate the rest of the apartment so she went back to the sinks and toilet, scrubbed them down as best she could, and drained the water. Next she grabbed her old torn red t-shirt that was still hanging on the bathroom door and used it as a rag to wipe down all the dusty surfaces in the living room. She sneezed a few times, which was a hundred times more painful than the dusting process, and sat down for another break. She didn’t realize how much time had passed. Daryl would be home any minute.

Kate was proud of the work she got done while he was gone. It was kind of pathetic that something that should have only taken a few minutes ended up taking a few hours, but it didn’t matter. Yes, she definitely needed her breaks, but she wasn’t in any more pain than usual. It helped that she didn’t push herself. That, and she popped an extra pain pill while she was up. She was glad Daryl had them, no matter how he got them, ‘cause Tylenol certainly wasn’t going to cut it.

Kate was torn from her quiet thoughts when the sound of a key turning in the lock of the front door grated on her ears. She allowed a small smile to play across her face, excited for Daryl to see how nice the apartment looked.

On the other side of the door, Daryl finally realized what Kate said on the phone that got him so preoccupied. At first he couldn’t put his finger on it, but right then it hit him like a ton of bricks. She asked him when he was coming *home*. She didn’t ask when he was coming back, or when he was going to leave work, no… she called the place “home.” A tingle of excitement and pride coursed through him at the realization. He was glad she felt that way.

As soon as he stepped foot inside the door he was overcome by the most bizarre sensation that he just walked into the wrong apartment.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of heat!

“Whoa.”

Daryl stood there with the door open, unconsciously letting the cool outside breeze invade the apartment and dilute the smell of cleaning fluid that had surprised the life out of him. He looked around. All his stuff was still there. Nothing had been moved out of place. He was terribly confused.

“What the hell?” he asked no one in particular.

Kate stifled a giggle at his expression of utter confusion. “I cleaned up, mister. The place needed it, you can’t deny it.”

He stared at her for a moment, then went back to searching the apartment for clues on what exactly it was that was so different. It was both glaringly obvious yet undetectably subtle at the same time. Shaking his head, he remembered the door was open, and stepped further inside so he could close it behind him.

“You did this?” he asked Kate, realizing that nearly every corner of the place was sparkling in a way it never had before. Not even when he first saw the place, when Merle was living there.

“Yup,” she replied, with a smug little grin.

“Are you alright?” Daryl asked, suddenly realizing that she had to get up and move around to get the job done. He eyeballed her head to toe, looking for evidence of injury.

“Totally fine. I took my time, took lots of breaks, and cheated a little when I could.” She smiled a little at the thought of sweeping crumbs out the door, but inside she was a little apprehensive at this point. It was hard not to be worried that he was upset with her for cleaning instead of resting.

But he believed she actually was okay. She looked fine, and was sitting comfortably on the couch, indeed resting. No, he didn’t like that she had worked so hard in his absence, but he couldn’t deny it, the place looked fantastic.

“This looks…fuckin’ amazing Kate. Damn. I never seen this place so nice.”

She blushed, his praise making her feel as though she was soaring through the clouds. Her smile was brighter than he had ever seen it, and he was overcome by the desire to kiss her thoroughly in that moment. So he did.

She was surprised when he quickly sat next to her, and she suddenly felt his mouth on hers and his rough hands on her neck. He was gentle but insistent, refusing to let her pull away. One hand glided softly from the side of her neck up to the back of her head, while the other drifted down past her shoulder and snaked smoothly around her back, holding her close to him. He kept her there for as long as he dared, kissing her until he knew they both needed some air. He pulled his lips away for a moment but leaned his forehead into hers.

“I’m glad to be home. I missed you today.”

She was floored and breathless. The whole room was already spinning from Daryl kissing her, and now he was saying he missed her. He sounded so genuine, and a little nervous. She didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t say anything. Instead she tilted her head towards his and answered him with a shy, daring kiss of her own, accompanied by a tiny smile.

Shit, she was so perfect, Daryl thought to himself as he deepened her kiss. She was killing him with her coy, innocent behavior. And the worst part was that he knew it wasn’t an act. He would bet money she never even had a boyfriend before, never mind did any kissing or touching. He already knew she’d never slept with a man before. God, she truly WAS killing him. Why’d she have to be so fragile right now? All he wanted to do was pick her up, slam her against the wall, and fuck the daylights out of her like a wild animal. He wondered what she would look and sound like once she experienced some of the pleasure he wanted to give her. He wanted to feel her shaking beneath him from anticipating his touch, and then from overwhelming sensation. He wanted to completely claim her as his and never let her out of his reach.

She saw a dark shadow flicker across his face once their lips parted. Worried she did something wrong, she tried to pull back, but his arms were there to prevent that. He pulled her in one more time for a third long, passionate, feverish kiss before he abruptly let her go. She felt him shudder before he stood up, and didn’t know why.

“Daryl?” she asked meekly, wondering what was going through his head.

“Don’t mind me,” he assured her with a weak smile. “I just gotta control myself better. Didn’t wanna put any pressure on ya.”

She gave him a sideways grin, comfortable with his answer. “You didn’t put any pressure on me. That was nice. I wouldn’t mind if you did it again.”

“Hmm,” he replied weakly, looking a little unsure of himself. He didn’t know if he COULD do that again without consequences. He hesitated for a moment and considered his words carefully before he spoke again. His throat felt dry and his voice was a little shaky. “That’s the thing, I dunno if I should. Like I told you before, I wanna do this right. But you make me think things and feel things that make waitin’ real hard.”

Kate was stunned. That was an incredibly bold confession for Daryl. She had no idea he felt that way. She stood, slowly to minimize the pain, and carefully took two steps toward him. She grabbed his hand in hers and squeezed it gently, smiling. “Hey, that’s okay. How about we do something else for a little while?” she suggested.

“Good idea,” he agreed quickly. “Give me a minute, I’ll be right back.”

He stepped away from her and into the nearly pristine bathroom, glad to see that the tub was as dull-looking as ever. He’d have to fix that on his own so it matched the rest of the place. Suddenly he wanted to, badly. He wanted to make sure Kate knew how much he appreciated what she did.

Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he almost didn’t recognize who he saw. He looked lively. Younger than the 31 he knew he was. Flushed, like he had just run a marathon. Tense, but not in an angry way. More like exited. Eager. Shit.

He turned the cold water on and splashed his face a few times, drenching the front of his shirt, trying to snap himself out of it. It wasn’t working. He still felt that frenzied hunger trying to claw its way out of his gut. His hands shook as he gripped the sink, just like Kate did the other day when she could barely stand. He felt pain, just like she did, but a different kind. He needed release, to take his prize and own it, to give in to what his body was demanding of him.

Daryl mentally shook himself and splashed water on his face one more time. He used another handful of ice cold tap water to splash the back of his neck before turning off the faucet. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he felt the cold droplets make their way down the screaming hot skin of his back. This would have to be enough. He was better than this, he kept telling himself.

Kate smiled again as Daryl made his way back out into the living room where she stood waiting.

“So,” she began. “What sounds fun to you?”

Daryl mentally slapped himself in the face.

“Uh, how about we go for a ride?”

“Alrighty then, mister. A ride where?”

“Wanna see my future place? I ain’t been up there in forever, so whatever we find will be a surprise to both of us.”

Kate was confused. “Your future home, and you don’t know what’s there?”

Daryl chuckled a little. “My grandfather’s old place. He died a while back, and I ain’t been up there since I was a kid, but it’s a shit ton of land and I want it to be mine. I’m almost done savin’ up for it. The bank gave me a few months to come up with the cash before they put it on the market. The guy in charge of the property remembered me. I think he really wants to sell it to me, since I’m a sure thing and won’t back outta the sale at the last minute an’ make problems.”

“Oh,” Kate replied, satisfied. “Yes, I would love to see it!”

“Good. Let’s get the hell outta here.”


	15. Chapter Fifteen

The view took her breath away.

The ride lasted a while, but Daryl’s little car finally got them to the old Dixon homestead. There wasn’t much left of it—a few collapsed outbuildings and a main house with a completely caved in roof—but the area was beyond beautiful. Acres upon acres of pristine wilderness, full of creeks and ponds and even the entrance to a cave system somewhere around. Daryl would have to investigate a bit and see if he couldn’t locate it again. It had been 20 years but he felt confident that he could.

Kate was stunned into silence as her eyes passed over the landscape. It was truly magnificent. She immediately understood why Daryl wanted it. Thankfully, the long trip in the car combined with the cool mountain air had calmed him down. Every minute that passed, he seemed less tense and more relaxed. He looked like he belonged here. Like his soul was soothed just by standing on that particular patch of earth.

“How much more do you need to save up to buy this place?” she asked him quietly.

“About five grand,” he replied comfortably.

“Holy cow,” she muttered. “You have enough time to pull all that together?”

“I think so,” he said. “Granted, I spent a little more’n usual lately but I don’t think it’ll matter much in the long run. Plus I got that job now. Shouldn’t be too hard.”

Kate bit her lip. She did the math quickly in her head, and she didn’t think it was going to happen in time. But she kept her mouth shut. Daryl didn’t strike her to be the careless type. And he’d been right about everything so far since they met. She decided to let it go. It was his business anyway, not hers.

She took a step closer to him and took his hand with hers. He looked down, surprised, then smiled at her. She smiled back and let him talk about everything he wanted to do once he owned all this. He went on for a long time. It was apparent that he thought about little else but obtaining this property. She saw in his eyes that this was his life’s dream. In that moment, she made the commitment to herself that she would help him attain it in any way that she could.

The sun began to set. Kate was getting cold, but she didn’t want to leave. She was so happy to be out in the fresh air, away from the four walls of the apartment. She felt freer in that moment than she did even on the day she left her parents’ house. Daryl caught the wistful look on her face and his heart pounded. He knew that feeling. He felt the same way.

“What do you say we stay the night?”

“Huh?” Kate answered, confused.

“We can stay here. Drive back in the morning.”

“What do you mean? The house is a death trap. You want to sleep in the car?” She eyeballed the tiny blue tin can. It drove fine, but it was not a substitute tent. She would rather sleep on the green couch, truth be told.

“No,” he laughed, clearly entertained by her confusion. “I mean I’ll throw a blanket on the ground, make a fire, and we can sleep under the stars. What do you say? Brave enough for that, little girl?” He was challenging her and teasing her at the same time. It gave her goosebumps.

“Uh, well…I’ve never done that before. But first time for everything, right?” She tried to sound much braver than she felt.

Daryl had to consciously control his breathing. When she used the words ‘first time,’ it reminded him of their previous conversations and got his heart pumping hard. He needed to knock this shit off.

“Right. Good. I didn’t take you for a chicken anyway,” he laughed, hiding his reddening face behind his hair as he opened the trunk of the car and leaned in.

“I’m the biggest chicken in the world,” she muttered to herself as she began sneaking glances at the tree line, expecting to see a bear charging at her any moment now. She was not prepared to spend the night outside. She was freaking out.

He spread the blanket on a flat patch of ground and helped her sit. He then disappeared for a few minutes, leaving Kate to bite her nails with nervousness in the growing darkness, but came back shortly with armfuls of dead wood. He took out his pocket knife and began shaving bits and pieces off the smaller sticks and gathering them into a pile. Then he whipped out his lighter and a cigarette. He lit the cigarette, then the pile of wood shavings, then promptly started piling the small sticks over the baby flames. As those caught, he chose slightly larger sticks, until he felt comfortable leaving the tiny fire for a second. Moments later he returned with a broken slab of tree trunk.

He set it down on the ground a good distance away from Kate and the small fire, and pulled out a rather large, narrow stone from his pocket, a little larger than his hand. He must have found it when he was looking for wood, ‘cause it wasn’t there for the ride up, that was for certain. He reached into the trunk of the car and pulled out a sledgehammer. Fascinated, Kate watched him wedge the stone into a crack in the wood then slam the top with the hammer, grunting from the effort. In the fading sunlight, the action seemed primal. She shivered, but this time it wasn’t from the cold.

He repeated the action a few more times until he was satisfied with the pile of wood he had accumulated. The fire had grown to a manageable size and had begun warming Kate nicely. Daryl sat down next to her and threw his cigarette butt into it, staring at the fire for a moment in appreciation, then pulled her close to him. She truly enjoyed the comforting feeling of leaning her back against his chest, and she began to feel less fearful of the creatures lurking in the woods around her.

Daryl stroked her arms with his rough fingers as they sat in the silence, watching the flames lick the wood, turning it from a light brown color, to black, to luminous red. He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled deeply, sighing with contentment as her scent combined with the scent of the fire and consumed him. He couldn’t help himself for a moment—he moved her hair to the side, bent his head down, and kissed her neck ever so gently, while firmly holding her shoulders in place so she couldn’t jump away in surprise.

She tried her hardest to hold in the squeak that threatened to escape her lips from the shock of this new sensation, but did not succeed. It came out like a strangled breath, painfully innocent and small. She could hear and feel the rumble of his growl in response… clearly he enjoyed that noise.

Daryl instantly realized what a mistake he had made by giving in to the urge to kiss her. It was as if he was stepping into a bear trap. He had milliseconds to move, to extricate himself, before the dozens of sharp teeth snapped around him and all hope was lost. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and held it for a full five seconds, before slowly letting it out between his gritted teeth in a hiss...trying to calm himself before it was too late.

Kate’s heart was pounding. She was overcome with the urge to flee. She wasn’t necessarily afraid of Daryl, but in that moment, she felt suspiciously like prey. Instead of running, she froze, like a rabbit that sensed a wolf nearby. Daryl could feel her heart pounding. The blood rushed through her with such force that he could feel it pulsing where his hands gripped her shoulders, and her actual heart thrashed against him even harder where his chest touched her back. Suddenly he was nervous for her. She was so small and delicate, he wondered how on earth he could ever love her without breaking her, even after she was fully healed.

Wait. Love?

Luckily for them both, the dangerous moment was broken when a crashing sound reached their ears from the other side of the field. It sounded like a large animal making its way through the brush. That’s exactly what Kate thought it was, until the noise got closer and hoarse voices could be heard shouting to each other. People. She felt marginally less panicked. Daryl, on the other hand, was slightly more concerned. And angry.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

There were two of them, a man and a woman it looked like, and they made their way steadily towards Daryl’s fire. They didn’t look friendly. The shotgun in the man’s hands did nothing to change that impression. Kate suddenly regained some of her nervousness.

“You there at the fire! You’re trespassin’!” came the strong voice of the male intruder.

“Trespassin’ my ass, buddy, now you both stop right there!” came Daryl’s response as he quickly stood and glared in their direction.

“This ain’t your land, now get goin’!” the man shouted.

“I ain’t goin’ nowhere, now you’d best turn around before you regret it,” Daryl warned them, his voice deepening in rage.

Kate saw the smaller figure, most definitely a woman now that Kate could see them clearly, lean over to her partner and mutter something that made the guy’s eyes widen comically.

“What’s your name?” the man asked Daryl after a moment’s hesitation.

“What’s it to ya?” Daryl called back obstinately.

“Oh come on now son, just answer the damn question!” came the woman’s voice out of nowhere, surprising Daryl and Kate both.

“Dixon,” Daryl replied, offering his last name only, in hopes the intruders would recognize it and hightail it out of there.

“Would that be Daryl or Merle?” the woman asked warily.

Daryl was floored. How did these folks know who he was, or who his brother was?

After a long pause, he called back “Daryl, now again, what’s it to ya?” His voice was still strong, but it had lost its angry edge.

The woman said something again quietly to her partner, sounding strangely satisfied, and marched right up to the fire where Kate still sat on her blanket, beyond confused.

“Glad to see you, Daryl,” the woman stated warmly.

Daryl looked back at her face, squinting his eyes, unable to place her for a long minute. Then he jumped as though he was struck by lightning.

“Barbra?” he asked. “Can’t be…”

“And why the hell not?” she replied, satisfied smile plastered across her face. “God damn, Daryl, you grew!” Her voice was no-nonsense, but as warm and friendly as they came. Kate couldn’t help but like her even though they hadn’t so much as acknowledged each other yet.

“And you, well, you…” Daryl stuttered in response, unsure how to reply.

“Aw hell you can say it son, I got old,” she grinned, not caring in the slightest.

“Georgie?” Daryl asked the man, his voice reflecting his honest-to-goodness disbelief.

“You got it, young man,” Georgie replied, a sounding almost as flabbergasted as Daryl. “I’m surprised you remember me.”

“Of course I do!” Daryl exclaimed. He turned around and addressed Kate. “Hey, these are good people. They were my granddad’s neighbors. They helped keep me outta too much trouble when I was a kid. Done more for me than my granddad ever did.”

Kate looked up and smiled at Barbra and Georgie, then at Daryl. “Would you mind helping me up so I can introduce myself properly?” she asked.

“Oh dang, of course,” he replied, realizing he forgot his manners. He scrambled to her side and lifted her as gently as possible.

“What’s wrong, miss?” asked Georgie, concerned.

“Oh nothing at all to worry about, I’m getting better now,” she deflected, maintaining her smile and reaching out to shake both their hands. “I’m so glad to meet you. I’m Kate. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Daryl this excited before,” she stated plainly.

“I know it takes a lot to make that boy smile. But you shoulda seen him when he caught his first fish, probably about 6 years old. Nothin’ but teeth, grinnin’ ear to ear like a Cheshire cat,” Barb teased. “Cutest thing I ever saw.”

Daryl didn’t say a word but the corner of his mouth turned up just a little. Barbra and Georgie sat down near the fire, and Daryl and Kate did the same.

Barb continued. “We didn’t have our own kids, so it was nice whenever Daryl stayed at his granddad’s. Got to spoil him rotten. He was a good boy. Looks like you grew up into a good man, too Daryl.” She nodded towards his female companion and winked. “She’s a sweet one, can’t imagine she’d stick around you if you weren’t decent.”

Daryl blushed, but no one could see it by the light of the fire. Kate felt his skin heat up though, and chimed in, “No one’s ever been kinder, that’s for sure. Whereabouts do you all live?”

Georgie waved his hand vaguely west of them. “Saw the smoke from your fire right around sunset. Thought it was either kids messin’ around where they shouldn’t be, or maybe there was trouble. Took us about 20 minutes to hike over. We ain’t as young as we used to be.” His hand stroked his gray beard as he spoke.

“Well I thank ya for keepin’ an eye out on the place, even though you weren’t doin’ it for me,” Daryl told the pair. “I expect I’ll be buyin’ it by Christmas. We’ll be neighbors again soon as I can get a decent cabin built.”

“Oh Daryl that’s wonderful!” Barbra beamed. Kate was in love with this woman. She seemed truly happy for Daryl. “Make sure you build plenty of extra bedrooms for the kids,” she added, with an exaggerated wink in Kate’s direction.

It was Kate’s turn to blush like mad. “Oh, we aren’t, you know, well…” she stammered.

Daryl picked up where she left off. “I only known Kate a few days now, don’t start layin’ that kinda pressure on me yet Barbie,” he warned playfully, trying his best not to let his imagination run wild with visions of his future infant crawling around with Daryl’s hair and Kate’s eyes, and Kate’s belly round with another on the way. He liked that idea. But he pushed it away instantly in favor of not making a fool out of himself in the present.

Kate saw him lose focus for a second and worried that all this talk of children freaked Daryl out. She changed the subject. “Will you be staying by the fire with us tonight? I’d hate to see you walking home in the dark. I bet there’s bears out there,” she finished, eyeballing the woods apprehensively.

Georgie laughed, “Oh there sure are, miss. But you ain’t gotta be worried about them too much unless you got hamburgers hiding in your pockets.” His grin was contagious, and Kate giggled a little.

Daryl spoke up, “How about you two take my car back to your place, and I’ll go get it in the morning?”

“I have an idea,” Barbra interjected. “How about you both come back with us, we’ll get you set up in the camper for the night, and I’ll cook you a nice breakfast first thing in the morning?”

Kate looked at Daryl and smiled. He could tell she liked that idea. He knew she was a little scared of sleeping outside and felt bad that he suggested it. He was just so excited to be out here. And he couldn't lie, the mention of Barb's breakfast was tempting.

“Sounds like a plan,” Daryl confirmed. They packed up their belongings, stomped out the fire and soaked the coals, and set off to Barb and Georgie’s place.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

“Here ya go, you two,” Barb announced as she ushered them into the camper parked way at the far end of their large backyard. “It don’t get used much, but everything’s clean and secure. There’s a few bunks on that end,” she waved her hand, “and a pull-out sleeper right there. Spare blankets and pillows are in the closet by the bathroom. There’s propane if you want hot water for something, but you’ll have to re-connect the tank,” she said to Daryl. “Just un-do it after.” Barbra and Georgie left them in the camper after showing them around (there wasn’t much to look at) and traipsed back across the football field-sized yard towards the house.

“Well that was a pleasant surprise,” Kate declared happily.

“Yes it was,” Daryl agreed. “Haven’t thought’a them folks in a decade at least. Thought they moved… dunno where I got that idea from though.” He watched through the window until they reached the safety of their back door and let themselves in. He couldn’t get over how glad he was to be back in this part of the mountains. Seeing Barb and Georgie made it even better.

He turned around as a rusty squeak reached his ears and found Kate trying to tug the pull-out bed from its place on the wall. “Nuh uh little girl, back off,” he warned as he took the handle in his grip. The bed folded out easily for him.

Kate grumbled, “Show off,” before she flashed him a bright grin.

Daryl looked down at the bed. It was bigger than his green couch, for sure, but that wasn’t saying much. The mattress was on the thinner side, but looked clean and taken care of. He walked to the closet a few feet away and grabbed every blanket he saw. One by one, he laid them out over the bed until there was an additional 6 inches of fluffy thickness layered on top.

This seemed a little over-the-top to Kate.

“What on earth are you doing, Daryl?” she asked.

“Trying to give you a good night’s sleep,” he replied as if it was obvious. “The first night you stayed with me you slept on my shitty couch. Same thing the second night, except we shared it, which meant you prob’ly didn’t sleep as good as you need’ta. Tonight I lost my mind and almost had you sleepin’ on the dirt until Barbie came and rescued you.”

Kate giggled. He was too much. “Daryl. I’m not made of glass. This looks way more comfortable than the motel I was staying in before I met you. Don’t be silly.” She slipped off her shoes and unbuttoned her jacket. She allowed it to fall all the way down her arms before she caught it and tucked it away in a cubby next to the bed. She slowly sat down and reclined on top of all the blankets except the one she would cover herself with, thankful that the bed was low to the ground and she didn’t have to lift herself onto it. Daryl watched anxiously, ready to help if necessary. Once she was comfortable, he relaxed.

She looked up at him, confused. “Aren’t you gonna get some sleep?”

He didn’t notice ‘til then that she had left enough room for another person. Damn.

“Don’t you wanna have some room to stretch out a little bit?” he asked nervously. He didn’t think this was a good idea. Not one bit. “Bed’s kinda small,” he added. And it wasn’t a lie. Her tiny frame fit decently on it, but he was pretty sure his legs would be hanging off the end if he laid down on it.

Hell, he might even break it, he thought.

“I guess you’re right,” she allowed, hiding her disappointment. She looked up at him and smiled, but it wasn’t as brilliant as her usual happy grin. Daryl wasn’t sure what to do.

“If you’re nervous about sleepin’ somewhere new don’t worry, I checked all the windows and the door’s locked. I’ll be right here,” he said as he pointed to the bunk lowest to the ground and only six or so feet away from her.

“I’ll be okay,” she assured him, trying to shake the childish desire to have him closer. He probably wants some space too after I smothered him on the couch last night, she thought to herself.

“Good. Well, goodnight then,” Daryl said quietly.

“Goodnight Daryl,” Kate responded sweetly. She snuggled into the blankets as deep as she could and found that she was indeed incredibly comfortable. She was fast asleep within moments.

Daryl laid in his bunk for a long time, staring at the ceiling. He knew she had fallen asleep rather quickly—he could tell from the sounds of her breathing. It only took a few minutes for her breaths to get longer and deeper, more regular. She sounded happy and comfortable. He wondered if he was making that up—seemed kind of weird to think you could tell something like that from just the sounds of someone sleeping. But he saw it too. Only her face was peeking out from under the blanket and he could tell by the ambient light of the moon and stars that there was a tiny smile on her face. She looked content. He was glad. He wondered what she was dreaming about.

At the thought of dreams, his imagination turned back to the idea of building a cabin on his land. He knew the perfect spot too, right at the edge of a gorgeous rolling meadow just out of sight of where the dilapidated old house now stood in ruin. He thought about what Barbie said, making sure there were enough bedrooms for the kids. He never thought about kids before. He never thought he’d be fit to be a father. He thought about his own father and grandfather. Mean men they were. It was a wonder Daryl didn’t turn out like them and Merle. He didn’t know how he did it. It would have been all too easy to allow the hatred and anger to consume him like it had consumed them. Seemed all they wanted to do was destroy themselves and everyone around them. They had all tried so hard to break Daryl but it didn’t work. He rarely drank and didn’t get into drugs the way Merle did. Merle practically tried to drown himself in them. Daryl kept his nose clean and his head down, didn’t get into trouble, valued fairness, accepted responsibility, and made an honest living. For a Dixon, that was unheard of.

Daryl eventually fell asleep with images of his brother, father, and grandfather swirling around his mind. He hadn’t thought about them like this in years. If they crossed his mind, it was only in passing, and he forgot them immediately. But with Kate so close by, and the topic of children being brought up earlier, it stirred something in him that hadn’t been touched in a long time. He was afraid that he’d be a shit father, a shit person, like them. He was afraid that he wouldn’t know it until it was too late and his wife and kids were stuck with him. It was irrational, in his head he knew that, but that didn’t make the thought any less frightening.

Kate woke up in the dead of night to deep groans. The clock said 3:30am. She held her breath, wondering if a wild animal could smell her through the thin camper walls and was trying to get inside. Another groan came, and she panicked, realizing the sound was coming from a few feet away from her. Not from outside. It was already in. Her eyes were the only thing that moved while she kept her body still as a statue, but she didn’t see anything unusual as she looked over her surroundings.

A groan came louder than before, and she finally realized what it was. Daryl was tossing his head back and forth in his sleep, making the scary sounds that woke her. Oh no, he’s having a nightmare, she realized. There was sweat dripping down his face and his hands were clenched into fists.

Cautiously she extricated herself from her cocoon of blankets and stood. The pain in her ribs had dissipated some. Maybe Daryl was right and all she needed was better sleep.

Kate crept around the pull-out bed and made her way to Daryl’s side, where she knelt down and gently put her hands on his arm. He flinched, but didn’t wake. She wasn’t sure what to do. Wasn’t it bad to wake someone up who was having a nightmare? Or was that only for sleepwalkers? Was it even true? She hated seeing Daryl in such distress. She couldn’t sit there and do nothing. So she shook his arm as hard as she dared. He didn’t wake. She shook him again and whispered his name. His eyelids fluttered, but he still didn’t wake up.

“Daryl!” she half-shouted, with a final shake of his arm. He wrenched it out of her grip with fantastic strength and speed and punched the bunk above him with all the force he could muster in his sleeping state. It was enough to shake the whole camper. Kate toppled over in shock, heart pounding out of her chest.

Daryl sat up and grunted in confusion, whipping his head around as if he didn’t remember where he was. When his eyes fell on her, pale and wide-eyed with her limbs splayed out uncomfortably on the floor, his breath caught in his throat.

“Are…are you alright? You were having a bad dream,” Kate whispered.

“What happened?" Daryl croaked.

“I don’t know,” Kate replied timidly. “I woke up and you were going nuts in your sleep. I didn’t want to leave you like that,” she whispered.

“Did I hit you?” he asked, bringing his hands together and feeling the soreness in his knuckles. He remembered hearing a loud bang when he woke. Suddenly he felt more terror than he felt during his dream.

“No! God no, you hit the frame of the bed above you,” she sputtered.

“Oh thank god,” Daryl mumbled, then slouched over in relief.

Kate gathered herself up carefully and crawled back to his bedside. She laid her hand back on his arm and patted him comfortingly. “Everything’s okay Daryl. Let’s get back to sleep. Come lay with me,” she insisted. At this point, he wasn’t up for resisting. He wanted to lay with her just as badly as she wanted him there.

She climbed back onto the bed first, then motioned for him to follow. He was too rattled to do anything but obey. As soon as he was on the bed, she reached for his shoulders and pulled him close to her. She wrapped one arm around his neck and guided his head to her chest. He was surprisingly comfortable, curled up on the small bed with his ear pressed up against her heart. She was so soft, and the way she held him was just right. He didn’t think he’d ever been held that way in his life. Minutes later he was peacefully sleeping.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Just as Daryl woke, before he even opened his eyes, he marveled at how warm and content he felt. It was as though someone had lit a fire inside him, and it was blazing with happiness and comfort. He could tell he had been smiling in his sleep. He wondered what he had been dreaming about.

Dreaming…

His eyes flew open as he remembered the dream that woke Kate in the middle of the night. He had dreamed that he was beating on her, like his dad used to do to his mom. Her mouth was bloody and her foot was hanging at a gut-wrenching angle. He couldn’t stop himself in the dream—he was just an observer and had no control. He screamed and fought within his own mind to make it stop, but it was no use. The dream version of himself was about to put Kate’s hands on the hot stove just as the real Kate managed to wake him.

Daryl felt nauseous. He didn’t want to wake Kate a second time so he laid as still as possible and fought the feeling. It was then that he noticed he was still halfway on top of her, still in the same position they fell asleep in. His right arm rested gently across her stomach, holding her, and he could still hear her heart beating in his left ear. His face was nuzzled into her breasts as though he were a child seeking comfort. Her right arm was wrapped around his back, pulling him close to her and making sure he stayed put. Her chest was rising and falling in a slow rhythm—still fast asleep. His nausea disappeared as he gazed at her quiet, beautiful form. 

Daryl felt like a sleazeball but he was enjoying this so much, he couldn’t bear for it to end yet. He closed his eyes and pressed his face more firmly into her chest, and used his arm to pull her body closer so it fit more tightly against his. Not an ant could squeeze between them. Kate sighed contentedly in her sleep and moved her arm so that her hand was resting on his head instead of his back. He enjoyed it immensely.

He dozed for a short while before Kate arched her back and yawned, disengaging him from his contented half-slumber. She began running her fingers through his hair and down his neck, giving him goose bumps. She was so gentle and sweet, he almost couldn’t take it. Everything she did, everything about her, felt so good. The greedy monster that he kept locked down tight inside him was roaring and beating against the walls of its cage. He gave an involuntary shudder.

“Daryl?” she whispered. “Are you awake?”

“Yeah,” he groaned, “but don’t stop touchin’ my hair. Please. Feels good.”

She chuckled. It felt nice to leisurely run her fingers all over his head and neck. Probably felt just as good to her as it did to him.

“I would do it every day if you wanted me to,” she said softly. 

The fingers on the hand he had resting across her middle stiffened and gripped her tightly for a moment in response to her statement. The sensation sent chills rippling all over her. Her breath caught in her throat, and he felt it. He couldn’t help it—he gripped her tightly again, then dragged his hand down along her side, then across her belly, finally letting it come to rest right below her navel. At this point Kate was trembling from head to toe.

Damn, that didn’t take long. He allowed his hand to make a few more passes then restrained himself and kept his hand still. 

Kate was so unbelievably attracted to this man, all he had to do was look at her sideways and she went weak in the knees. But now he was touching her. Caressing her, actually. Dragging his fingers along her side, down to the top of her jeans, then up to her ribcage just below her breasts, over and over. Then suddenly he stopped.

She didn’t know what to make of it. She felt insane. She didn’t know what she was feeling exactly, but it was almost like something inside her was twisting tighter and tighter and if it didn’t come loose she was going to die.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I knew I shoulda stayed in a different bed.”

“Don’t,” she gasped quietly, trying to compose herself. “Don’t you dare be sorry. It felt good. Really good. Whatever that feeling was. It tickled, but worse. But not worse. Maybe better. I don’t know. I don’t know how to explain it,” she murmured.

That was it. Daryl was going to hell.

“What do you mean? Didn’t you feel the same way that day we kissed the first time?” he tried to clarify as he sat up straight on the bed.

She thought back to that day. She had been nanoseconds away from removing her towel just after kissing him for a minute. It was different.

“That day, it all happened so fast, I didn’t even have time to think about what was going on,” she finally replied. “There wasn’t much touching then. I never had anyone touch me before like you just did,” she added quietly.

“Well then, now I’m definitely glad we didn’t do anythin’ that day,” Daryl said gruffly.

Kate paused to look at him, taking in his serious expression and the way his breath was passing through his lungs just a little too hard. His hands were clenched up again, and he wasn’t looking back at her.

She wanted to speak but hesitated, trying to summon the courage. Another moment passed before Daryl heard her sweet voice ask him, “Do you think we could try it again?”

As soon as his brain made sense of her words, something powerful stirred inside him. He wanted to pounce and consume this poor girl. His heart lurched, and he felt a familiar heat begin to boil up from way down deep in his gut.

“I don’t know,” he rasped as he bit onto his thumbnail for a moment before clearing his throat. “Kate, I told you before, I wanna do the right thing by you. I don’t want to pressure you or make you feel scared.” She should be scared, fuck, he thought to himself.

“Please?” she begged.

Oh shit, Daryl thought, shit.

“I figure if I got used to it we could do it more. I really want to. I’m tired of being a chicken,” she continued.

His knuckles were white as they could get, and his jaws were gritted tightly together. He wished she would stop saying these things.

“I trust you, Daryl.”

Game over.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Daryl looked over at Kate. She was sitting facing him in yesterday’s jeans and t-shirt, legs folded beneath her, with her bright eyes staring resolutely back at him. She was nervous, yes, but still determined.

“I don’t exactly know what you want me to do,” he said slowly, not trusting himself to move any closer just yet.

“Just touch me,” she replied, shivering a bit. “It feels so good when you do. I don’t know if I can ever get used to it but I’ll try.”

“I don’t want you ‘gettin used to it,’” he stated firmly. “I always want you to feel special when I touch you. I intend to make that happen every time, as a matter of fact.”

She gulped as he got up off the bed and walked over to her side. He stood behind her and reached for her shoulders. She tried not to hold her breath but it wasn’t working that well. She felt his fingers brush the messy blond curls away from her neck. Everywhere his fingers made contact her skin was left tingling. He leaned over and kissed her neck again, just like he did last night by the fire. She inhaled sharply when he did, and felt the same tug in her belly that she felt a short while ago.

Daryl noticed how still she was. Her eyes were closed and her jaw was set—she looked determined not to move. He kissed her neck again. The only reaction Kate had was to let out a long, shaky breath.

“Good girl. But I need you to relax. This is s’posed to feel good.”

There he goes with that ‘good girl’ stuff again, she thought. It transformed the gentle tug in her belly into a sharp, insistent yank. She felt lightheaded and giddy when he said it. Half of her hoped he wouldn’t say it again, but the other half craved to hear it over and over.

“It does feel good,” she said softly. “I just don’t know what to do next.”

“You can touch me if you want,” he replied. She turned around to look at him and nodded.

He helped her stand, and as soon as she had her feet steady on the floor, he kissed her. He took her hands in his and placed them directly on his chest. She kept them there and caressed him softly, enjoying how solid he felt against her. He moved his right hand to her lower back, pressing her against him insistently. His other hand went directly to her neck, cupping her jaw and pulling her deeper into the kiss.

She obeyed for a few moments, until suddenly she tore away with a tiny gasp. “It aches,” she whined quietly.

“It’s a’right. It’s s’posed to,” he replied reassuringly. He locked eyes with her and placed his hands on her hips. He brought her body as close to his as he could. Slowly he dragged his palms up, until he was about to have both hands on her breasts. He waited until she took another deep breath, then began caressing them gently, almost teasingly, keeping eye contact with her the whole time until she allowed her eyes to close from the pleasure of it.

Daryl knew he was swollen beyond belief. He was so hard it hurt. But he and Kate were still completely clothed. He had never been this turned on, this fast, ever before in his entire life.

“We should probably stop,” he whispered. He had leaned in so close to her that his lips brushed her ear when he spoke.

“No!” she gasped. “Please don’t, I need…something, I don’t know,” she continued, breathless.

“I know. I know what you need. You’re doin’ so good, Kate,” he replied. His voice was deep and dark and sounded strained. “But I’m about a half-second away from eatin’ you alive, and I’m pretty sure Barbra will be down shortly to fetch us for breakfast. When I take you--and I will--” he looked at her sharply, as if he was warning her, “I don’t wanna rush.”

She closed her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth, trying to suppress the eager pull in her belly that was drawing her towards Daryl. Hearing the rough edge to his voice made it that much harder. It made her feel as if touching and kissing wasn’t enough. She wanted to melt into him completely and be utterly consumed by him. She didn’t know how it would be possible to satisfy that pull, but if Daryl said he knew, she believed him.

He stepped back from her and ran his fingers through his hair. It was hard to walk away. His pulse was going through the roof. The damn girl was gonna give him a heart attack and she had barely touched him. His dick was about to punch a hole through his jeans and his balls felt like they’d been kicked, they hurt so bad.

“I need to go cool off for a second,” he stated firmly, making sure to smile at her as he turned around. He was dead serious about cooling off, in the literal sense. He hopped into the camper’s shower stall and turned the water on full blast. He never hooked up the propane and the water that shot out was like ice. It was so cold it felt as though he was being sliced by a thousand razor blades, but at least it distracted him from the delicious young woman only feet away, who was all too eager to give herself over to him.

Slowly the tension in his groin faded to a manageable level. He turned off the water and dried himself off as best he could, pulling on the same clothes he had on earlier. He peeked out of the bathroom and saw that Kate had lain back down on the pull-out bed. She had both hands on her head and both eyes closed.

“You good?” he asked her, trying to keep the shiver out of his voice.

“Yep,” she replied, opening her eyes and grinning sheepishly at him.

“Want me to get the hot water running for ya?” he asked.

“Wait, you mean you never hooked it up?” she demanded, incredulous. “You actually showered in cold water? You trying to get hypothermia?”

He chuckled. “I’m the one who’s s’posed to be the hard ass keepin’ YOU in line, little miss attitude. You gon’ discipline me, girl?”

She narrowed her eyes back at him in a playful challenge. “I guess you’re gonna have to find out. Hopefully not the hard way,” she teased. “And yes sir, I would appreciate some hot water. Thank you for asking.”

She eventually showered without too much trouble, although she didn’t enjoy putting the same clothes back on afterward. She was looking forward to a hot breakfast and then heading home with Daryl.


	20. Chapter Twenty

They walked arm in arm through the yard in the misty glow of a brand new day. Off in the distance the horizon was illuminated by a gorgeous rosy pink color, which faded into creamy, shimmering orange, and then a soft buttery yellow, before the clearest turquoise broke through the morning sky directly above the pair. Kate didn’t know which was more beautiful up here—the sunrise or the sunset. She stared at the colors, mesmerized.

Daryl, on the other hand, couldn’t take his eyes off the breathtaking girl next to him. The color in her cheeks matched the pink of the skyline. Her eyes put the dazzling blue heavens to shame. The golden luster of her hair was accentuated by the light beginning to shine down on them. He was proud to be privileged enough to walk beside her. She could have literally any other man on the planet, yet here she was with him.

They reached Barb and Georgie’s back door and could smell something wonderful coming from inside. Kate murmured, “Georgie’s a lucky man,” solemnly while Daryl grinned and raised his arm to knock.

Before he could, though, the door opened and Barb stood there wearing a red and white checkered apron, spatula in hand, smiling at them expectantly.

“Perfect timing you two, I was just about to send Sleepyhead over there to go fetch you,” she chattered happily, nodding towards a sleepy looking Georgie who was standing to the side pulling a boot on. Looking relieved, he took it right back off and plopped himself at the table.

“Ain’t right sendin’ a man out before he’s had his coffee,” he grumbled good-naturedly.

“Quit complainin’ ya old fart,” she replied. “Kate, Daryl, have a seat and make yourselves at home. How do you like your eggs?”

Kate was grinning like a fool at Barb’s sassiness. “I’ll take whatever you’re dishing out,” she said.

“Same,” agreed Daryl.

“Good answer,” Barb replied. “Thirty seven years of marriage and Georgie still hasn’t figured that one out.”

Kate burst out in giggles that seemed to last ages, and Daryl had to cover his face so he didn’t start too. He didn’t want poor ol’ Georgie to feel like he was being ganged up on, even though they all knew Barb was just pokin’ fun. Daryl caught a glimpse of the older man grinning and rolling his eyes just before Barb turned around holding a giant platter of eggs, bacon, johnnycakes, and syrup that looked like it weighed fifty pounds.

“Oh goodness Barb, can I help you with any of that?” Kate gasped. She managed to stand up halfway out of her chair before Barbra made it to the table and placed the platter down in the middle of it without issue.

“Nonsense my dear, I’m sturdier than I look. But it was very kind of you to offer.” Barb glared at Daryl and Georgie in pretend irritation for not trying to help. They must have looked sufficiently remorseful, because she immediately returned to her jovial, lively self and began filling plates and passing them around.

“So what are you two planning on doing once you get back?” she asked.

“Well, Kate here has a checkup and I’ve gotta show my face at the garage for a few hours,” Daryl began, before Kate interrupted.

“I was thinkin’ we might ride around for a bit and go job-hunting. I’m new to town and haven’t had much luck so far,” she explained to Barbra and Georgie. “But I feel like my luck is changing. And after this breakfast I’m pretty sure I could take on the world,” she finished with a genuine grin.

“What kind of work you lookin’ for, young lady?” Georgie asked.

“Well, I’ve been a waitress the past four years but I was hoping for an office job. Somewhere I could actually accomplish something instead of pouring coffee all day.”

Georgie rubbed his beard for a moment, looking thoughtful. “Well my dear, your luck may actually be changing like you said. Are you living in Cedarville?” he asked Kate.

“Cedar Grove, actually. Just outside Cedarville town limits,” Daryl provided. Barb looked at him curiously for a moment, then went back to her eggs.

“I don’t know if you remember, Daryl, but my family owns a business in Cedarville. A lumber warehouse. My brother just told me yesterday his secretary is retiring. More like an assistant than a secretary. He’s worried he won’t be able to find a replacement,” Georgie explained.

Barb looked up from her plate. “Oh George! That’s a hell of an idea!” Barbra exclaimed.

“Sure is,” Daryl agreed.

Kate was dumbstruck. It was too good to be true. “Are you sure he’d be interested in me?”

“My brother tends to take my advice. We’re on the same page just about a hundred percent of the time…when it comes to business anyway,” Georgie replied, then paused for a moment before continuing. “If I make a strong suggestion, which I don’t do often mind you, he’s likely to consider it.”

Kate was overjoyed. “I would be so grateful if you’d mention it to him,” she exclaimed. “I’d love the chance to go speak to him.”

“I’ll call him today. You should leave me your phone number in case he wants it, or so I can call you later on and update you.”

“I’ll do it,” Daryl offered, as Barb got up and returned swiftly with a pen and paper. He wrote down the phone number to his apartment and was about to write down Kate’s name when he realized he didn’t know her last name. He couldn’t believe himself.

“Uh, how do you spell your last name again, Kate?” he asked quickly.

“R-o-m-a-n-o," she replied, a bit confused.

“Right. Here you go, Georgie,” Daryl declared, handing him the paper and pen.

Barb looked at Daryl again, this time with her eyes narrowed shrewdly. Georgie and Kate didn’t notice but Daryl felt the weight of her stare and shifted in his seat.

The meal continued without a hitch, and Kate stood and offered to clear the table once everyone had finished.

“Nonsense, you’re a guest in my home, I won’t be putting you to work dear,” she replied kindly. “But Daryl on the other hand,” she paused and winked, “well, I’d love to have him come upstairs for a moment and fetch my old sewing machine for me. Georgie put it on the highest shelf in the linen closet a decade ago and now neither one of us is strong enough to get it back down,” she chortled. 

“Yes ma’am,” Daryl replied, refusing to look as wary as he felt.

“Fantastic,” Barb said.

He followed her up the fight of stairs that led to the bedrooms and continued along the long hallway, right past the linen closet. Daryl tried hard to keep his face expressionless. Suddenly Barb turned around sharply, finger straight out and pointed right at Daryl’s chest.

“You mean to tell me, Daryl Dixon, that you have a young lady living with you after only knowing her a few days, and you don’t even know her last name? How could you?”

Daryl was speechless at first. He stuttered incoherently for a few moments before he was finally able to spit out, “I didn’t do anything! She needed a place to stay!”

“Don’t you dare talk back to me young man. This is reprehensible. What will her parents say?” Barb challenged.

“She doesn’t have any,” he replied. “Barbie, I promise, nothing’s going on.”

“Pfft. Sure, okay,” she retorted, rolling her eyes.

“I swear it Barbie. I’d explain, but it’s really not my business to be sharin’.”

Barb glared at him even more fiercely than before. “I’ll be gettin’ my explanation, mister, you can take that to the bank.”

“Don’t go askin’ her about it now!” Daryl insisted, looking worried sick.

His expression caused Barb to pause. She had never known Daryl to be a bad kid. He might have suffered from bad circumstances, but he himself had never been the cause of problems. She hoped that the kind soul she caught glimpses of during his childhood had survived the past twenty years, and still existed within the young man in front of her.

“Fine. I won’t. But you better be doin’ right by that girl.”

“I promise, Barbie,” Daryl said solemnly.

Then Barb had a thought.

“And she better be doin’ right by you, too!”

Daryl looked at her, confused for a long, stretched out moment, and asked, “What the heck are you talkin’ about?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, mister. She better not be messin’ you around, trying to get her hooks into you for money, or a place to stay, or whatever it is she’s needin’.”

Daryl was floored. “Absolutely not,” he stated firmly, looking incredulous.

“I’ll take your word for it. Now Georgie’s gonna get her that job whether Frank likes it or not,” she stated abruptly, referring to George’s brother. “I hope she doesn’t decide to skip town once she’s got some cash. She really seems like a nice girl.” Barbie paused, as if considering what she was about to say. Finally she spat it out. “She makes you smile, Daryl. She suits you.”

Daryl followed a pacified Barbra back downstairs and found Georgie and Kate still at the table. Georgie had his hand on her shoulder and was red as a tomato, laughing fit to burst. He stood up and embraced the tiny blond, who looked apprehensive for the smallest moment before embracing him right back. Daryl knew it was because she probably still wasn’t feeling a hundred percent, not because of anything Georgie did.

“Well then, what’s all this?” Barb inquired, looking amused.

“Sharp as a whip, this one is,” Georgie wheezed.

“He tried to tell me he had no idea why you wanted the sewing machine in the linen closet in the first place,” Kate tried to explain, looking sheepish, before Georgie interrupted with another loud guffaw.

“And you know what the little whipper-snapper said back to me? She goes, ‘you shouldn’t question your wife’s choices you know, you’re one of them!’”

Daryl couldn’t help but laugh at that one. Barbie smiled and nodded approvingly, “Atta girl.”


	21. Chapter Twenty One

Kate hugged Barb and Georgie goodbye before sliding into Daryl’s blue car to head home. She was so happy to have met them. Not only was Georgie able to give her a lead on a job, but the couple seemed like genuinely nice people. The type of people she wished her parents had been. She assumed Daryl felt the same way. She felt satisfied just knowing that folks like them existed.

Daryl looked as content as she felt during their ride home. It took forever to get down the mountain itself, but once they reached the end of the long, winding road it seemed like minutes before she began to recognize landmarks. Twenty minutes later and they had almost reached their neighborhood.

“Seems strange to be back here,” Kate said suddenly.

“What do you mean?” Daryl asked.

“Felt like we were in another world, or another time, when we were up on your granddad’s land and at Barb and Georgie’s house. I can see why they live up there. It’s soothing and refreshing. You don’t have to look at grimy graffiti or litter, or listen to traffic all the time. It’s so perfect.”

“Yep,” Daryl replied. “It just feels right.”

Silence filled the car again as both were lost in thought. Daryl still wanted to build himself a house up there more than anything, but there was a pang of something that felt strangely like loneliness when he thought of himself living alone on top of a mountain. He didn’t wanna be up there all by himself anymore. It used to be part of the appeal—he wouldn’t have to deal with people if he was miles away from town. But there was one person he really wanted to see every day no matter where he lived.

“Once you get that job here in town, what d’ya think you’ll do?” Daryl asked, keeping his tone light and conversational.

Kate paused before responding. The question took her by surprise. She hadn’t really thought about it much, ‘cause she had lost hope on finding a job for a while, but now that the possibility of one was looking promising she needed to figure it out.

“That’s a good question, I don’t really know,” she replied slowly. “I’ll need to save up for a little bit for a deposit on an apartment. But that shouldn’t take long. I guess it depends on what a secretary position pays.”

Daryl tried not to look let-down. He hoped she would want to stay with him and not rush off into her own place.

Kate misinterpreted the look of disappointment that flashed quickly across his face before he managed to cover it with a casual expression. She realized he probably wanted her to leave sooner. He had been spending so much money on her lately, it was likely hurting his savings account.

“Do you have any suggestions for me? This will be the first time I’m living completely alone, and I’m still pretty new around here. Is there anywhere I should avoid?” she asked, hoping to let him know she wanted to be proactive about finding her own place.

“Well, my area ain’t too bad. And the neighborhood to the south is pretty nice. Kind of expensive, but you get what you pay for,” he said wisely. “It wouldn’t bother me if you stayed longer though…I’d feel better if you had enough money saved up so you ain’t livin’ paycheck to paycheck, ya know?”

“That’s really kind of you Daryl. I just feel bad that you’re supporting us both and I’m not pulling my weight,” she replied.

“You barely got any weight to pull, girl,” Daryl chuckled, feeling slightly better. She didn’t say no, after all.

“I guess I’ll just wait to hear from Georgie or his brother before I go and make any grand plans,” she said, trying to sound sensible, but inside she was glad to know he wasn’t in a rush to have her out.

“Wise choice,” he said gravely, but with a twinkle in his eye.

“Hey, would you mind stopping at the store before we get home? Oh, wait, you have work-- I forgot,” she amended quickly after noticing the time.

“No problem, I got a half hour to get there, but Tommy’s not a hard ass,” Daryl assured her. “Whatcha need?”

“Well, if I’m going on an interview it would be nice to have some makeup and maybe a clip for my hair,” she replied. “Luckily this really sweet guy got me brand new clothes not too long ago, so I know what I’m wearing will look nice.” She said it nonchalantly but grinned like a fool when he cocked his eyebrow at her.

“You’d look beautiful just walkin’ around in a burlap bag, knock it off. We can stop at that store at the next light.”

He pulled in and parked. The store had just opened and they were the only people in there aside from the employees. Kate went straight to the beauty section and picked out concealer, powder, mascara, and blush. Then she grabbed a brush, since she’d been using Daryl’s comb, and a pretty clip that had touches of blue and gold woven into the design. 

“I know I’m an idiot for buying this silly stuff but it helps to make a good first impression,” she murmured as they walked to the checkout area.

“It’s not silly. What woulda been silly is you buying two of everything on the shelf and needing a suitcase to put it all in,” Daryl joked.

“I suppose,” she agreed, feeling a little less self-conscious.

Daryl slid his wallet out of his back pocket but he wasn’t quick enough. Kate managed to peel off two ten dollar bills from the wad that was hidden in her pocket and hand them to the cashier before Daryl realized what happened. He didn’t know she was still carrying the money he took from the men outside Trapp’s.

“You’re sneaky,” he grumbled as he slipped the wallet back into his pocket.

Kate smirked at him, glad he kept his money for once. She accepted her change from the cashier and turned away from him. As they walked back out into the parking lot she had an idea.

“Hang on, I forgot something!” she exclaimed as she handed Daryl the bag of makeup and hurried back inside. Looking bewildered, he strode the remaining few feet back to the car and placed the bag carefully on the passenger seat. He closed the door and leaned up against it, waiting for Kate to return.

What on earth could she be buying now, he wondered.

About five minutes later she reappeared carrying two more slightly bulging bags, hurrying as best she could but burdened by their weight. He rushed over and took them from her, grumbling about her still needing to take it easy. He tried to glance inside the bags to see what was so important but she had thought ahead and asked the young man at checkout to double them up and tie them closed.

He glared at her, wordlessly requesting an explanation, but she turned her head with a smile, pretending she didn’t notice.

They reached the apartment in no time, and Daryl carried all three bags to the door in one hand and quickly inserted the key into the lock with the other to let them in.

“Would ya call Patti before I go?” Daryl requested as he put Kate’s bags on the table.

“Of course,” she replied, grabbing the cordless phone and sitting gracefully on the couch. The slip of paper with her phone number on it was sitting on the coffee table.

The phone rang twice on the other end before Patti answered brusquely.

“Hi Patti, this is Kate from yesterday,” she explained.

“Oh hey, I was wondering when I would hear from you. Mind if I stop by on my way in to work?” Patti asked.

“That would be fine,” Kate replied.

“Good. Has anything changed since yesterday?” Patti inquired.

“No ma’am,” said Kate, “I got a really good night’s sleep and had a delicious breakfast, so I’m feeling pretty good.”

“Perfect. I’ll see you shortly then,” Patti said.

“Sure thing,” replied Kate before hanging up.

Daryl poked his head out of the bathroom where he was brushing his teeth and changing into work clothes. “She comin’?” he asked with his toothbrush hanging out of the side of his mouth as he buckled his belt.

Kate giggled. “Yes, she’ll be here soon.”

“Alright,” he said, removing the toothbrush. “I want a full report when I get back. And if I think you’re fibbin’ on what she says I’ll call her myself, got it?”

She rolled her eyes and gave him a mock salute. “Yes sir!”

Daryl had spit out the toothpaste and rinsed. He walked towards the couch, wiping his face down with a damp towel, and leaned over the back of the couch, bringing his face close to Kate’s.

“Now that's what I like to hear,” he said in his smooth, deep voice, first looking directly into her eyes and then letting his gaze fall to her lips. He moved forward to kiss her. Her lips greeted his eagerly. He snaked his hand across the exposed skin of her neck and caused her to shiver with delight and groan softly.

“Mmm. That’s my good girl,” he murmured, peppering her cheeks with kisses in between words.

“That’s what I like to hear,” she whispered slyly.

Daryl couldn’t believe his ears. He looked at her, surprised, before he grinned back at her devilishly. He was gonna have so much fun with this one.

Sooner or later.


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

Just as Daryl was about to leave for work, Patti pulled into the parking lot. She drove a small yellow Volkswagen beetle that seemed completely at odds with her no-nonsense attitude. It was almost comical to see her climb out of it with an impassive facial expression and her hair tied back in a severe-looking bun. Daryl chose to keep his opinions to himself, however.

“Mornin' Patti. Glad to see you again,” he called as he opened his car door about twenty feet from where she parked.

“You’re lookin’ a little less frazzled today Daryl,” she replied, waving back.

He smiled and climbed in his car. He waved goodbye to Kate as he drove past, who was standing at the door to the apartment to welcome Patti in.

“That boy’s a sucker for you,” Patti stated plainly as she placed her bag on the coffee table.

“Oh I don’t know, he’s just a nice person I think,” Kate replied shyly.

Patti grunted dismissively and opened her bag. It was much bigger than the small kit she was carrying when she met Kate and Daryl the day before, near the donut shop.

“Have a seat. When’s the last time you had a doctor’s appointment anyway?” Patti asked.

“Oh jeez, I’m not even sure. Probably ten years ago,” Kate said, looking guilty.

“I’m not surprised, but let’s see what you’ve got goin’ on in there before I yell at you too much,” Patti replied with a wink.

First she listened to Kate’s heart and lungs with her stethoscope, then took her blood pressure. Then she tested Kate’s reflexes, looked at her eyes, ears, and throat, felt her neck for swollen glands, then asked Kate to lay down on the couch to examine her ribs.

“You’re not doin’ too bad, considering. I’m willing to bed those ribs are bruised, not broken, although I don’t blame Daryl for suspectin’ the worst. I rarely say this but I’m glad we didn’t call an ambulance and waste the money.”

“Who was going to call an ambulance?” Kate wondered out loud.

“I was thinkin’ about it, seein’ as you had collapsed on the concrete like a rag doll. Daryl said you were pretty broke but he offered to use his land-money to get you a doctor if you needed it. I guess he’s plannin’ on buyin’ property somewhere,” Patti explained.

“No way,” Kate murmured, dumbfounded.

“Well that’s what he said, he didn’t say where though,” Patti replied, misunderstanding Kate’s confusion.

Kate murmured something unintelligible, too surprised to argue. Patti didn’t hear her and began to pack up her things.

“Listen, whenever you can, please go see an actual doctor alright? I may know my stuff but you really should get checkups more than once a decade,” Patti lectured good-naturedly.

“Yeah I guess I should. Thanks, Patti.”

“Anytime. Keep my number in case you need it. And even if you don’t, give me a ring one day and say hey, will ya?”

“Sure,” Kate grinned. It seemed she might have found a friend in this capable woman. That gave Kate an idea.

“Hey, can I get you anything to eat or drink before you have to go to work? I just went shopping this morning,” she asked.

“Shopping already? You’re an early riser, huh? I actually have a bagel waiting for me in the car. But thank you sweetheart, that’s nice of you to offer.”

Kate smiled at her again, and thanked her for her help. After Patti let herself out and shut the door behind her, Kate turned her attention to the bags that Daryl had brought inside. She untied them and gently took out each item inside and put them away. She was glad there wasn’t much in the tiny fridge. Even though she only bought two bags worth of groceries, they were stuffed to the brim with enough food to last the pair a few days at least. The wad of money in her pocket was considerably smaller than it was yesterday. Eggs, coffee, milk, sugar, cheese, pasta, fruits and vegetables, meat, bread, basic seasonings…plus a few treats she thought Daryl might like, like a box of donuts and a six-pack of beer. It was a wonder she was able to carry it all out of the store and was glad that Daryl swooped in to help her.

She had a few hours to kill before Daryl would be home, but she fully intended on having dinner ready for him when he arrived. She thought it might be nice to change into fresh clothes, try out her new makeup, and surprise him with a home-cooked meal. She was grinning ear to ear with glee at the thought. She watched a handful of episodes of daytime TV sitcoms to try and distract herself.

Suddenly the phone rang. She assumed it was Daryl, checking in to see what Patti had to say, but was surprised to hear Georgie on the other end.

“Hey there young lady,” he greeted her jovially.

“Hi Georgie! How are you?”

“Fine, just fine, I just got off the phone with my brother Frank. He’d love for you to come in and see him first thing in the morning if that’s alright with you. He was going to call you, but I told him I wanted to be the one to let you know, ‘cause I know how excited you are,” he stated earnestly.

“Oh my goodness, tomorrow! Holy smokes! I’m so nervous all of a sudden,” Kate exclaimed.

“Heavens no, don’t be nervous. Frank’s a saint, and he’s very excited to meet you. Daryl knows where the place is. Just go right in the front door and ask for Frank Simmons. He’s usually not too busy before 10am. I can’t wait to hear how it goes, not that there’s really much of a question about it,” Georgie said, and Kate swore he was winking at her through the phone.

She thanked him profusely and hung up, suddenly in a tizzy from all the excitement. She grabbed her bag of new clothes that Daryl had bought her a few days ago and rifled through it, trying to pick out the best outfit she could for her first job interview in almost five years, and some clothes to change into before Daryl got home.

Once she was satisfied with that, she moved on to fixing her hair and doing a little makeup. She brushed her long blond waves with her new brush then tied her hair into a loose, neat braid that rested over one shoulder. She used the smallest amount of concealer she could to try and hide some of the fading bruises on her face, and patted a little powder over it. Then she carefully applied the mascara and a touch of blush. She hadn’t felt this good in weeks. It felt nice to pamper herself a little bit after the heartbreak of losing her home with Donna, and her grant, and the stress of sleeping in motels while looking for jobs. The pressure was beginning to fade, and she was hopeful.

Keeping her rumpled jeans and t-shirt on for the moment, she took out some ingredients from the fridge and began chopping and dicing. Over the course of an hour and a half, the pot on the stove transformed from plain tomatoes into a rich, flavorful sauce seasoned with garlic and basil. The ground beef that she purchased was mixed with minced onions, garlic, parsley, egg, parmesan, and breadcrumbs to create the best meatballs she had ever made. Once they were fully cooked she dropped them into the pot of sauce and turned it down as low as possible, just to keep everything hot. When she thought she only had a few minutes left until Daryl arrived, she set some water to boil and got changed. The process was getting easier now. Then she went back into the kitchen and poured spaghetti into the boiling water, and waited.

***

Daryl was fuming as he drove home. He had already chain-smoked a half dozen cigarettes and lit another as he pulled into the parking lot in front of his apartment. One of his brother’s old friends, Ronnie, had spotted him at the shop and stopped to chat. Ronnie was waiting for one of Tommy’s guys to finish installing a new radio in his crappy junker that might not make it down the block, and decided to “catch up” with Daryl, whom he had only met a few times previously, since Daryl and Merle did not hang out with the same crowd.

“Heeey brother, what’s goin’ on?” Ronnie asked gleefully.

“Ain’t your brother. What do you want?” Daryl replied bluntly.

“Easy on the hostilities bro, cheer up. Hey you got anythin’ on you? I been waitin’ here forever, gettin’ antsy, ya know?” Ronnie replied, talking quickly and sounding like the junkie he was.

“No.”

“Aw yeah damn you’re workin’, that’s right. Hey good for you, good for you,” Ronnie mumbled, not looking happy at all. But then he brightened up. “Hey, you heard Merle might be gettin’ out right? Some kind of deal with the DA. I think he’s givin’ up names, ya know? Whoever he used to get his shit from better watch their back. Crazy shit, bro.”

“When did you hear this?” Daryl growled, staring Ronnie down like a bull about to charge.

“Whoa man, just yesterday, just yesterday. Abel told me, and his cousin Jimmy’s in there with Merle so he heard it straight from ‘im. Cool?” Ronnie was wishing he found someone else to talk to by that point. Judging from the look in Daryl’s eye, he appeared to be the type to shoot the messenger. Literally.

“Get lost, fuckin’ clown,” Daryl spat, disgusted by the cowardly drug addict. Ronnie didn’t need tellin’ twice.

As soon as he was out of sight, Daryl marched up to the phone in the office and called the prisoner information line for his county. It was a number he knew by heart at this point. He entered in Merle’s ID number and waited for someone to fetch the most updated information on him. The operator’s voice momentarily chimed in his ear, “Dixon, Merle? Yes, I have here that his release is pending. Due out next Friday.”

Daryl hung up without thanking her and stormed out of the office. He didn’t even punch out. He walked directly to his car and sped away.


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

Kate heard a car door slam just outside the apartment and was immediately jittery with excitement. The timing couldn’t have been better—the spaghetti was perfectly al dente so she strained it then poured it back into the pot, mixing a little sauce in with it so it wouldn’t stick together. The table was set for a humble dinner for two, but she spruced it up a little bit by using an old sheet for a tablecloth, and the food was ready to be served.

The key turned in the lock and Daryl marched inside, slamming the door closed behind him with nearly enough force to break it.

“Hey,” Kate greeted with a confused smile, even though the loud noise made her jump.

Daryl didn’t immediately reply. He stomped into the bathroom, tossed his cigarette butt into the toilet, and turned back around. Kate watched as he stood in the doorway, hands on his waist, staring at the floor. He looked nervous and pissed and extremely uncomfortable.

“You’re gonna hafta leave,” Daryl said abruptly, without looking up.

Kate felt nothing but shock for a moment before a jolt of despair and rejection shot through her chest. “W-what? But I…oh. Um. Okay,” she stammered for a moment, before her shoulders slumped. She didn’t know what she had done, but obviously he had changed his mind about her, for whatever reason. He didn’t owe her an explanation. He had done so much for her. She had no right to ask him for anything else. He had turned back around into the bathroom again, and she could just barely see him leaning up against the sink with his head still down.

Kate quickly crossed the floor of the small apartment and put her hand on the doorknob. So many feelings surfaced in the short amount of time it took her to reach the other side of the room. Dismissal, humiliation, confusion, sadness…it was a lot more painful than she thought it should be. She closed her eyes briefly, as if centering herself, before turning the handle to open the door.

Daryl’s head snapped up at the sound, panicked, imagining that it was Merle walking in at that very moment even though that made no sense. He darted out of the bathroom and saw Kate there at the door, anguish radiating from her like heat from the sun, and internally breathed a sigh of relief before the confusion hit.

“Wait, what are you doin’?” he asked gruffly.

She looked at him, utterly bewildered and distraught, unsure how to respond. Her hand remained on the door, and she was leaning side to side, uncommitted to both staying and going. Her giant blue eyes were swimming in unshed tears but to her credit, she refused to let them fall.

“You said…”

“The hell you talkin’ about?” Daryl replied.

“You told me to leave,” she said in an impossibly small voice, as though she was trying not to be heard at all.

“I didn’t mean right this damn second,” Daryl stated, exasperated.

“Oh,” Kate answered meekly. She took her hand off the doorknob but didn’t move any further back into the room. Daryl turned from her and sat down on the couch. He made Kate jump again when he banged his fists on the table in frustration, then he let his head fall into his hands and sat there in furious silence.

Kate was totally baffled. She had no idea what was going on or how to fix it. Slowly, she walked away from the door and stopped behind the couch where Daryl was sitting. She turned towards him and gently, carefully, laid one hand on his shoulder. He threw it off immediately, roughly, as though her touch stung him.

But she tried again. Ever so slowly she reached out and put her hand back in the same place. This time he let it stay. She heard him let out a stifled sigh that sounded more like a grunt. Kate kept her hand on his shoulder while she quickly stepped back around to the front of the couch and sat next to Daryl. She felt like she was trying to care for an injured animal who was ready to lash out at any moment. She still hurt inside, knowing that he wanted her to leave, but she couldn’t let him sit there obviously upset without trying to help.

“What is it?” she breathed, encouraging the soft tone of her voice to soothe the angry beast beside her.

For a moment there was no reply. A minute passed in silence, and Kate sat there expectantly, patiently, the whole time. Eventually he muttered, “Merle.”

“Okay. Merle. We can handle this. Tell me,” she whispered as she began to rub her hand slowly across the wide, muscled plane of Daryl’s back.

“He’s gettin’ out,” Daryl continued abruptly.

“Okay,” she said again. “What does that mean for you?” Softly, calmly, quietly, attentively, she dragged as much out of him as she could. His posture eventually relaxed as he explained just how shitty his relationship was with his brother, and how much better life was when Merle wasn’t around. Daryl wanted to be nowhere near this place when Merle was released, but he didn’t have anywhere else to go yet. And he definitely didn’t want his brother catching a glimpse of Kate.

“That’s why you gotta leave,” he mumbled dejectedly.

Finally she understood. The pressure that had taken hold of her heart, and the tight knots that had formed in her gut, were diminishing. He wasn’t upset with her, and he wasn’t necessarily kicking her out. He was trying to keep her away from Merle.

“Damn,” he said suddenly, looking up at her briefly for the first time since he got home. “Normally I woulda trashed the place by now, considering how pissed off this shit gets me. But I ain’t broke nothin’ yet. ‘Mazing.” He laughed humorlessly at himself. 

“Good,” Kate replied simply, without heat.

Silence took over once more, but not for too long. Daryl broke it first. “You thought I was gonna make you leave? Tonight? With nothin’?”

Kate looked at the floor and shrugged. “You were so mad and I didn’t know why. I would have left if you wanted me to.”

“Shit,” he muttered, thinking about what would have happened if he didn’t catch Kate as she walked out the door. He might not have been able to find her later on when he came to his senses. He could scour the whole city and still never know where she went.

“M’sorry Kate,” he said, finally sounding more like himself. “I like you bein’ here. With me. Merle just has a way of fuckin’ ruinin’ everything.”

“Hey, don’t be sorry,” she insisted. “God, if I thought for a second my brother was on his way here we’d be running for the hills faster than you can blink.”

“Oh yeah. I forgot about your brother. What was his name again?”

“Kevin,” she replied, shuddering a little though she tried not to. “But I don’t wanna talk about that right now. Makes me nauseous just thinking about him. And I, well I…” Her words slowly faltered as she glanced toward the kitchen and turned bright red. So much for a nice meal, she thought.

Daryl followed her gaze before she quickly averted it in hopes that he wouldn’t notice. But there really was no hiding the “fancy” dinner table setting and the smell of Kate’s marinara sauce. He stood up to get a better look.

“You do all this?” he asked, astounded.

“Well, yeah, but—“

“You made this?” Daryl remarked as he wandered closer to the stove and felt his mouth begin to water.

“Yeah, but if you’re too worked up we don’t have to—I got you some beer if you want to chill out instead—“

“Aw hell no,” he interrupted. “Screw beer. I can’t believe you cooked us dinner. This looks fuckin’ delicious,” he said enthusiastically.

“It’s just sauce,” she murmured, blushing uncontrollably.

“Just sauce, my ass. I can’t tell you the last time I ate a home-cooked meal. Besides what Barb made us, of course, an’ you know I ain’t seen her in twenty years,” he insisted.

When Daryl mentioned Barb’s name it reminded Kate about the conversation she had with Georgie earlier. She brightened at the thought, nervousness taking over her once more, but she steeled herself and told Daryl to sit down so she could serve the food. She allowed a tiny smile to grace her lips as she scooped up a pile of spaghetti and drowned it in sauce before adding three or four meatballs to the pile on Daryl’s plate. She grabbed the small block of parmesan she bought earlier and grated off a generous amount of the delicious Italian cheese to finish it all off.

Daryl looked like Christmas had come early. He was ready to dive in, but forced himself to wait until Kate had made herself a plate and sat down. All thoughts of Merle were immediately banished from his mind when he took his first bite. Thank goodness they weren’t out in public because the appreciation he was voicing for the simple meal was so reverent it was obscene. He groaned ecstatically when he took his first bite of meatball. He tried not to slurp his spaghetti too much, but sometimes he just couldn’t help it, he just wanted to get it in as quick as possible. He finished in record speed, but when Kate tried to get up and make him another plate he waved her down and insisted she enjoy her meal—he could serve himself. His second plate was piled even higher than the first, although he tried to slow down and enjoy this helping a little more thoroughly.

He looked so content, Kate couldn’t help but feel proud. Butterflies danced around her belly as she watched him inhale the sauce-covered noodles, looking like a large happy child eating his favorite meal. She didn’t want to ruin the moment for him by bringing up something somewhat related to their earlier discussion, but she couldn’t help it. She thought of an idea that might help the situation.

“I talked to Georgie today,” she began, dabbing the corners of her mouth with a napkin.

“Damn, that was quick!” he replied, swallowing quickly so he could answer her without having a mouthful of spaghetti. “What’d he say?”

“He said that his brother Frank wants me to come in and talk to him tomorrow morning,” she told him quietly, trying not to grin like a fool, but he could hear the excitement in her voice.

“No shit.” He was smiling, happy for her, but not all that surprised given what Barbie had said.

“So yeah, I was thinking…if he hires me tomorrow, maybe he’ll let me start working the next day. I might be able to work up a half paycheck by next Friday, and I’ll be able to use that to pay for a motel room until I start getting regular checks. Or maybe,” she paused, scared to say what else was on her mind, but she pushed through it, “Maybe you and I can throw in our money and get a place somewhere together. That way neither one of us has to deal with any craziness from your brother. And I’ll pay half the rent, so you can save money for your granddad’s land.”

Daryl was floored. She wanted to keep living with him? Even after his tantrum earlier when he nearly broke the door and the coffee table within the first few minutes of being home?

Kate was unnerved by his silence and the way he was staring at her.

“I just figured it might be nice for both of us to get outta here. Why should you stay behind and deal with your brother if you’d rather keep the contact between you two at a minimum? I hate the thought of you staying here, just to save some money, while he destroys the place and brings drugs and his criminal friends over every day.”

Still no reaction.

“I mean, unless you want to. I just figured we could go somewhere better and I’ll chip in, we can do things 50/50, so you don’t have to worry. But if you’d rather stay, I completely understand, you have all your stuff here and moving sucks. So it’s okay. I get it, I promise. Forget I mentioned it,” she mumbled, looking down, wishing she never asked in the first place.

“Hell naw, girl.” Daryl had finally found his voice. “I ain’t forgettin’ about it.”

He reached over and hesitantly put his hand on top of hers as it rested in her lap. “I’d rather come home to you than that loser any day, no questions asked. I just thought you wanted to get your own apartment.”

Kate was surprised and pleased. “No, I didn’t really want to live alone, especially in a new city where I don’t know my way around, but I also didn’t want to keep leeching off you and feeling like I was taking advantage.”

“Shit girl. If anything I’m taking advantage of you. I get to stare at your pretty face every night, and eat some damn good food,” he smiled and nodded toward his plate, “and not feel so damn lonely all the time. Been lonely all my life so that’s sayin’ somethin’. We’re even.”

“So you wanna…?” Kate asked, not daring to believe it.

“Abso-fuckin’-lutely I wanna,” he confirmed, looking dead serious.

“Oh my goodness, Daryl!” Kate beamed at him. She stood up and took his face in her hands and kissed him thoroughly, unable to contain her excitement.


End file.
